WHO Saves Feelings, but Whose? Will Rename Monkeypox Because It’s ‘Discriminatory’ – Opinion

If you’ve been life-alteringly afraid of monkeypox, there is pulse-lowering news: Monkeypox will no longer be something to fear. Actually, monkeypox won’t be a problem at all.

As we’ve learned over the past few years, what something is is determined by what it’s called. Monkeypox is going to end soon.

The World Health Organization has announced an impending new moniker for the malady, as the initial one is “discriminatory and stigmatizing.”

On June 10th, 29 international scientists declared the “urgent need for a non-discriminatory and non-stigmatizing nomenclature for monkeypox virus.”

“The prevailing perception,” it lamented, “is that [the monkeypox virus] is endemic in people in some African countries.”

It is now well-established that most MPXV epidemics in Africa, prior to 2022, were caused by spillovers from humans to animals. There have rarely been sustained human-tohuman transmissions. The continued use of, and nomenclature for this virus as African in the context of the global epidemic is both inaccurate and discriminatory.

This is where the reputation of Africans are at stake

This is evident in photos that depict pox lesion in Africa. Foreign Press Association, Africa recently issued a statement asking the media worldwide to cease using photos of Africans to draw attention to the European outbreak.

Rather than the disease being linked to “Africa or West Africa or Nigeria,” growing evidence suggests that “cross-continent, cryptic human transmission has been ongoing for longer than previously thought.”

As for the term “monkeypox” relating in any way to people, the World Health Organization’s suggested tie-in remains unexplained. IIt is important to note that Africans do not have a tailed simian; they also don’t have -pox unless WHO refers to POCs (People of Color). Nonetheless, it’s been decided a redirection must be made.

Calling the virus “monkeypox,” it turns out, is “counter to the best practice of avoiding geographic locations in the nomenclature of diseases and disease groups.”

It has been a long tradition to call diseases after specific areas on the Earth. 

As pointed outBy Bill Maher, 2020

Scientists…have been naming diseases after the places they came from for a very a long time. Zika comes from Zika Forest, Ebola is from Ebola River, Hantavirus from Hantan River, and Zika from Zika Forest. There’s the West Nile Virus, and Guinea Worm, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. The Spanish Flu is another. MERS stands for ‘Middle Easter Respiratory Syndrome.’ It’s plastered all over airports, and no one blogs about it.

Even if we forget about African people, WHO might be concerned about the offending of non-human animal species. Such a worry wouldn’t be far outside the bounds of our current cultural state.

These are indeed the days of increased sensitivity.

Pest Control for the Problematic: World’s Largest Insect Organization Cancels a Name That Bugs Them

Legal Journal published a plea for hate speech laws protecting animals

Fish Fry: The Woke Renaming of Racism-Riddled Carp Sizzles with Social Justice

Woke in the Water: Shark Advocates Call for an End to the Word ‘Attacks’ in Favor of ‘Interactions’

Monkeys, in particular, are conscious of the need to be respectful. Despite what you may assume, they’re heavily invested in the goings-on of science:

Do we have to believe this or can it be made up?

“Because Of Course: A Gang of Monkeys Attacks a Lab Assistant and Escapes With Bottles of the Coronavirus”https://t.co/yqdJ6R4nbA pic.twitter.com/04u7jUaBBf

— Alex Parker (@alexparker1984) May 31, 2020

-ALEX

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