Senior Biden officials have been privately lobbying the WHO to change the name Monkeypox for months because the original “is racist,” sources say.
- Authorities believe monkeypox carries unnecessary stigma for people of color
- They have been concerned about the name ‘for months now’, it was reported
- The United States is now at the peak of its monkeypox outbreak after the summer surge
[noscript_1]
The Biden administration has asked world health officials to change the name of monkeypox to ‘MPOX’ because the current name is racist, according to reports.
Senior White House officials are said to have been privately lobbying the World Health Organization for the change, even threatening to change the name in the US without agency approval if it didn’t move far enough. Quick.
Monkeypox caused a global outbreak for the first time this year, infecting 30,000 Americans and killing 14, but the virus has been causing outbreaks in Africa for decades.
Biden’s staff believe the original term outbreak carries unnecessary stigma for people of color.
The WHO promised to reconsider the name in June over similar fears of stigma, with a decision expected in a few weeks.
There have been concerns about possible racist undertones to the name since the outbreak began this summer.
It comes after a study found that monkeypox patients can spread the virus up to four days before symptoms appear, raising questions about current strategies to contain the infection.
The Biden administration is lobbying the World Health Organization to change the name to monkeypox. Pictured above is Biden in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in August of this year.
The United States recorded about 500 monkeypox cases per day in July. But now it has been reduced to less than 13 amid increased awareness and a rapid vaccination campaign.
According to politicalBiden’s staff worried that the name “monkey pox” would discourage some Americans from getting vaccinated.
In August, more than 30 scientists wrote to the WHO saying that “continuous reference and nomenclature that this virus is African is not only inaccurate but also discriminatory and stigmatizing.”
They added: “The most obvious manifestation of this is the use of photos of African patients to depict smallpox lesions in the mainstream media of the global north.”
The WHO has been considering a number of new names, including ‘MPOX’, ‘Mpox’ and ‘orthopox “something”‘.
In August, the WHO changed the name of the two dominant variants of the virus to Clade I and Clade II. Previously, they were called the Central African and Congo Basin clades.
Monkeypox received its name in 1958 after it was identified in monkeys imported to Europe from Africa.
Some experts say the term evokes racist stereotypes and reinforces offensive views about Africa.
The US is now in control of the outbreak, with an average of 13 cases being reported per day. At the peak in July there were more than 400 cases per day.
