MPX? Mpox? Fight to replace ‘monkeypox’ with a non-racist name

Some claim the name is racist and defamatory to the entire continent. Others see it as offensive to homosexuals. Some people fear that happened in brazil.

In a nutshell, monkeypox.

As the threat of the disease spread, experts around the world pledged to change its name to one without the weight of stigma. We are holding a public forum.

“Monkeypox is kind of a strange name to give to a disease that afflicts humans today,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, a leading expert on infectious diseases for the US government.

People line up for the monkeypox vaccine at the St. John’s Well Child and Family Center in Los Angeles.

(Irrfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

But it’s easier to throw away the old name than settle on a new one.

Already, public health agencies, researchers and nonprofits around the world are working to abbreviate or shorten the controversial name. ​​There is little agreement about 46,700+ In the world.

The California Department of Public Health call it MPX — pronounced “MPX” or “em-pox” — to wait for WHO to pick a new name.official of Oregon, Vermont, new jersey Elsewhere I use hMPXV. Some LGBTQ community organizations in Canada mpox.

Renaming an infectious disease in the midst of a growing epidemic may seem risky. But experts are confident it can be done, and believe doing nothing is riskier. I fear it might alienate people and reinforce racist tropes.

I said, “Is there one solution that makes everyone happy? No.” Dr. Perry N. Halquitis, an infectious disease epidemiologist and dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health. “But there will be one solution that is the least aggressive of all, and that will move the disease around a little bit better.”

Electron micrographs show yellow monkeypox particles infecting cells.

(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)

The name dates back to 1958, when the virus was first documented in a group of laboratory monkeys at a research institute in Copenhagen. This is an orthopoxvirus, the type often named after the animal in which it was first identified. Although more common in rodents than in primates, its origin in the wild remains unknown.

Monkeypox was first documented in humans in 1970 in a 9-month-old boy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In past outbreaks, animals, especially rodents, have been the main source of human infection.

The disease is endemic in rural West and Central Africa, with thousands of cases and numerous deaths in men and women of all ages each year. Until recently, viruses were rarely known to spread from person to person. However, in the current outbreak in Europe and North America, overwhelming majority Percentage of cases involved in transmission among men who have sex with men.

Characterized by rashes and lesions that look like pimples, bumps, or blisters, the condition can spread through prolonged skin-to-skin contact with these lesions, and these lesions are in hard-to-see areas. Or it can be mistaken for other skin problems.

It is a cousin of smallpox and was named by the WHO more than half a century ago. World Animal Health Organization and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization setting best practice To classify diseases in 2015. Names that refer to countries, geographical places, and names associated with animals.

Terms such as “swine flu” and “Middle East respiratory syndrome” “have unintended negative consequences by stigmatizing certain communities and economic sectors.” Dr. Keiji FukudaIn 2015, the former Assistant Director-General for Health Security at WHO said:

A healthcare worker receives a monkeypox vaccine at the St. John’s Well Child and Family Center in Los Angeles.

(Irrfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

“We have seen the names of certain diseases provoke backlash against members of particular religious and ethnic communities, create unjustified barriers to travel, commerce and trade, and cause unnecessary slaughter of food animals.” can seriously affect people’s lives and livelihoods.”

Such concerns were addressed in June two main groups Some of the monkeypox viruses were known as the Congo Basin clade and the West African clade.international group of scientists I was asked to remove those labels Because linking the disease to Africa is “not only inaccurate, but discriminatory and stigmatizing.”

Christian HappyAssisted in launching the campaign.

WHO agreed with the scientist. This month is, announced The Congo Basin clade will become known as clade 1 or I, while the West African clade will become known as clade 2 or II.

“This was a big win. African Infectious Disease Genomic Research Center at Redeemers University in Ede, Nigeria. “We, Africa, will no longer accept being undermined. We will stand up to anything that goes against or seeks to damage the image of our continent.”

Susana Alvarenga, a medical assistant, administers a monkeypox vaccine at the St. John’s Well Child and Family Center on August 10.

(Irrfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

Ask people what they dislike about the name “monkeypox” and you’ll probably get different answers from each person.

For Halkitis, he said, it reflects a “history of nomenclature associated with the diseases for which it is responsible.” He cited early in the AIDS epidemic when the disease was misclassified as “gay-related immunodeficiency” or “GRID.”

“Using the word monkey to refer to the virus not only ties it directly to animals associated with the African continent, but also potentially associates the behavior of gay men as monkey-like,” Halkitis said. Stated. Being “in the wrong hands” could stigmatize those potentially affected by the disease, he added.

Halkitis isn’t concerned that renaming a virus in the middle of an epidemic would cause confusion, but he acknowledges that coming up with something new isn’t easy.

At a recent seminar at Rutgers University, he called the disease “MPX.” This is an alternative he called “absolutely not ideal” after learning that MPX is a name of sorts. small machine gunHe listed “Mpox” as one of the options, but it’s not a great option because “monkey attribution doesn’t really go away.”

People check in to get monkeypox vaccinations at a walk-up site at Barnsdall Art Park in Hollywood on August 9.

(Brian van der Burg/Los Angeles Times)

“I think there are really smart people who work in marketing who can come up with good names,” he said.

Dr. Richard BetterPresident and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation said the current name creates a false and derogatory association between monkeys and sick people and creates a barrier for those seeking treatment. said that it could be

Besser served as Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. The disease was commonly called “swine flu”. Pig. (The pork industry was also hit hard, he said.)

“There are always challenges with renaming a disease during an outbreak, but if the name itself is causing harm, it shouldn’t stop you from renaming it,” Besser said. Indeed, the scientific community should look to “massive rebranding of many diseases,” he said.

“there are a lot of virus being named after another place of Africacontributing to the inappropriate association of disease and epidemics in parts of Africa,” Besser said.

Kathleen Hall JamiesonDr. Annenberg, director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Public Policy and an expert in science communication, disputes the fact that the name monkeypox “doesn’t convey useful information.”

The “pox” part is fine, she said, because the public is familiar with the word.

She said the public would easily adapt to the new name if a consensus could be reached on what it should be.

“I wanted to do it before the outbreak,” she said. But “people quickly forget what you used to call it.”

A final word on the new name, International Classification of Diseasesis a comprehensive catalog of health disorders maintained by WHO.

of Renaming process It is expected to take several months, according to the agency. WHO plans to update the public information by the end of the year.

WHO spokesperson Fadela Shaib said: “I’m sure you can’t come up with a ridiculous name.

Comments left on suggestions posted on WHO website I’ll explain why it’s not easy to find a new name.

To those who propose “Magnus Pox”: “Ideally, disease names should not use people’s proper nouns. There are people called Magnus, but their names should not be associated with this disease.”

To another person suggesting “Pox22”: “Monkeypox was first discovered in humans in 1970, so if you want a name like COVID-19, Pox70 is a better choice. “

And about “little pox”: “Since monkeypox lesions are even larger than smallpox lesions, being small is out of the question.”

REZOHealthIt is a Montreal-based non-profit organization that provides medical services to the queer community.

“Some people quickly realized that monkeypox was a bit stigmatized in its current form. It was very important to get away from it as soon as possible.” Mpox is “a sensible name change.”

The organization recently reached out to Canadian Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos to discuss the new name, but he said the switch could cause confusion before the WHO decides on the new name. Miriello said he was concerned. (Duclos did not respond to a request for comment.)

Mpox has another potential problem. degenerative disease It afflicts mutants including X-Men such as Rogue and Cyclops from the Marvel Universe.

Times staff writer Marissa Evans contributed to this report.