ANI
23 Nov 2022, 10:07 GMT+10
Geneva [Switzerland], November 23 (ANI): The World Health Organization (WHO) is looking to rename monkeypox to "MPOX" to destigmatize the virus, according to a US newspaper report.
The decision follows growing pressure from Biden officials, who privately asked WHO to change the name, The Politico reported. The report said this decision could be announced on Wednesday.
Citing people with knowledge of the matter, the Politico report said that Washington is worried that the virus' name was deepening stigma and affecting the vaccination campaign in the country.
Since early May 2022, cases of monkeypox have been reported in countries where the disease is not endemic, and continue to be reported in several endemic countries. The US has recorded nearly 30,000 infections, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
Most confirmed cases with travel history reported travel to countries in Europe and North America, rather than West or Central Africa where the monkeypox virus is endemic, according to WHO.
Most reported cases so far have been identified through sexual health or other health services in primary or secondary health-care facilities and have involved mainly, but not exclusively, men who have sex with men.
Last month, WHO said that Monkeypox continues to meet the International Health Regulations (IHR) criteria for a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
"The Emergency Committee acknowledged that some progress has been made in the global response to the multi-country outbreak of monkeypox since the last meeting, including the emerging information on the effectiveness of behavioural interventions and vaccines," the WHO said in a statement.
This follows the third meeting of the IHR Emergency Committee regarding the multi-country outbreak of monkeypox.
According to WHO, at the regional level, the risk was assessed as high in the WHO region of the Americas, declining from high to moderate in the European region, remaining moderate for the WHO Regions of Africa, Eastern Mediterranean, and South-East Asia, and remaining low in the Western Pacific Region. (ANI)Get a daily dose of Michigan Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Michigan Sun.
More InformationWASHINGTON, D.C.: In April, U.S. consumer prices went up slightly. Rent costs increased, but food prices went down, which helped keep...
NEW YORK - International travel spending in the United States is projected to decline by 7 percent in 2025, amounting to a US$12.5...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks were mostly higher Thursday, although the Nasdaq Composite finished modestly behind. This is a market...
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico: As the global trade war deepens, Puerto Rico is seizing the moment to lure international companies to relocate...
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana: Eli Lilly's obesity drug Zepbound led to nearly 50 percent more weight loss than Novo Nordisk's Wegovy in the...
SHENZHEN, China: China's passenger car sales climbed for the third consecutive month in April, increasing 14.8 percent from a year...
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: A passenger bus carrying nearly 50 people skidded off a cliff in Sri Lanka's central highlands, killing 21 and...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order this week to lower the cost of prescription drugs in the United...
PASADENA, California: A U.S. appeals court late last week upheld a federal law that stops felons from owning guns. The court rejected...
MOUNTAIN VIEW, California: Google will pay US$1.4 billion to settle allegations that it unlawfully collected user data in Texas without...
WARSAW, Poland: Poland has ordered Russia to shut down its consulate in Krakow following allegations that Moscow was involved in a...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Norwegian energy company Equinor is on the brink of terminating its US$2.5 billion Empire Wind project in...