Stacy L. Christiansen, MA, Managing Editor, JAMA
The recent outbreak of monkeypox disease (caused by the monkeypox virus), like COVID-19 and other pathogens before it, raised concern about disease names, particularly those that could negatively affect particular nations, populations, or animals.
The naming of diseases (and in this case, renaming) falls to the World Health Organization (WHO). After reports from individuals and countries raised concerns about the term “monkeypox” being racist or stigmatizing, the WHO met with concerned parties and invited public comment to rename the disease.1
The result is “mpox.”
The AMA Manual of Style will add the term “mpox” to the viruses section in the Nomenclature chapter (14.14) as well as information about the renamed clade I and clade II (formerly Central African and West African, respectively).2
We recommend dual reporting, such as mpox (monkeypox), at first mention to ease adoption of the new terminology. Other organizations, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention3 and AP Stylebook,4 have also announced their adoption of the updated terminology.
The monkeypox virus name has not yet been changed. The International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses is responsible for that terminology,1 and when new nomenclature is announced we will update the Manual accordingly.
References
- World Health Organization. WHO recommends new name for monkeypox disease. Accessed December 1, 2022. https://www.who.int/news/item/28-11-2022-who-recommends-new-name-for-monkeypox-disease
- World Helath Organization. Monkeypox: experts give virus variants new names. Accessed December 1, 2022. https://www.who.int/news/item/12-08-2022-monkeypox–experts-give-virus-variants-new-names
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Monkeypox. Updated November 30, 2022. Accessed December 1, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/index.html
- The Associated Press. mpox. AP Stylebook. November 30, 2022. Accessed December 1, 2022. https://www.apstylebook.com/ap_stylebook/mpox
Per Trevor Noah, to get rid of the stigma, they should have given the virus a completely different name. They were trying so hard not to be racist that they ended up being racist. (I should add here that he is a comedian, for those not familiar.)
I might agree with him. Speaking for myself, if I know it used to be monkeypox but that was racist so now we say mpox, I’m going to have that exact thought every time I say mpox.
Then again, as soon as I walk into an airport, I think of the word that shall not be uttered in an airport, so I might be more suggestible than most.