The World Health Organization (WHO) has decided to rename monkeypox, claiming the existing name is racist and discriminatory to Africa. Currently, the virus is split into two types, with the names designating where they were found, such as the West African variant and Central African or Congo Basin strains. The move is similar to what the WHO did with COVID-19, which had been referred to as the Wuhan virus because of its origins. The WHO designated the name of the virus as SARS-CoV-2. “As such, we believe that no race or skin complexion should be the face of this disease” the group wrote.
