According to the United Nations website, WHO announced on November 28 to change the English name of monkeypox from monkeypox to mpox to avoid discrimination and stigmatization.

The WHO said in a statement that both names will be used simultaneously over the next year and the original name will be phased out. The establishment of a one-year transition period will help alleviate the confusion caused by the name change in the course of the global monkeypox epidemic, and also provide time to complete the International Classification of Diseases and WHO publications involving the update of the content.

This year, the outbreak of monkeypox in several countries and regions has been followed by racist and stigmatizing statements on the Internet and in some communities. Several times, individuals and countries have raised concerns about the name monkeypox and asked WHO to propose a name change. Critics argue that the Monkeypox name is misleading because monkeys are not the primary hosts of the virus.

Representatives from 45 countries and territories participated in the WHO consultation on the name change for monkeypox.

According to WHO data, as of the 26th, a total of 81,107 confirmed and 1,526 suspected cases of monkeypox have been reported in 110 countries and territories, including 55 deaths.

Popular knowledge of monkeypox

1、What is monkeypox 
Monkeypox is a human-animal disease caused by monkeypox virus infection, clinical manifestations are mainly fever, rash, swollen lymph nodes, usually self-limiting disease, but some patients can develop complications, including secondary bacterial infection of the skin lesions, encephalitis, etc.. This round of epidemic has mild symptoms and a small and atypical rash.

2. Transmission of monkeypox
Monkeypox is mainly contracted through contact with respiratory secretions, lesion exudates, blood, other body fluids of infected animals, or through bites and scratches by infected animals.

Human-to-human transmission is mainly through close contact, but also through droplet transmission during prolonged close contact, and contact with virus-contaminated objects may also be infected. Since May 2022, monkeypox outbreaks in non-endemic countries have been predominantly among men who have sex with men (about 96%), with sexual contact as the main mode of transmission.

3. Monkeypox prevalence
Since 1970, when the first human monkeypox case was diagnosed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), monkeypox epidemics have occurred mainly in Central and West African countries. Since May 2022, for the first time, monkeypox has continued to spread in Europe, the Americas and other previously non-endemic countries.

4、Is there a treatment for monkeypox?
Monkeypox is a self-limiting disease, and most have a good prognosis. At present, there is no specific anti monkeypox virus drugs in China. Treatment is mainly symptomatic supportive treatment and treatment of complications. In most cases, monkeypox symptoms disappear on their own within 2-4 weeks, but in special populations such as immunodeficient people, it may lead to clinical complications and even death.