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 India Gazette 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 India Gazette.
More InformationNEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks diverged on Wednesday for the second day in a row. The Standard and Poor's 500 hit a new all-time...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: The U.S. dollar continues to lose ground, weighed down by growing concerns over Washington's fiscal outlook...
KABUL, Afghanistan: Afghanistan, long associated with war and instability, is quietly trying to rebrand itself as a destination for...
SANTA CLARA, California: Executives at Nvidia have quietly been cashing in on the AI frenzy. According to a report by the Financial...
NEW YORK, New York - Global stock indices closed with divergent performances on Tuesday, as investors weighed corporate earnings, central...
TORONTO, Canada: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced late on June 29 that trade negotiations with the U.S. have recommenced...
NEW DELHI, India: India has decided not to allow a United Nations (UN) investigator to join the investigation into the recent Air India...
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida: In a landmark flight for three nations and a veteran U.S. spacefarer, a four-member astronaut crew launched...
Washington, DC [US], July 3 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday (local time) that the Indian embassy and...
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], July 3 (ANI): The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted that light to moderate rains...
Ferozepur (Punjab) [India], July 3 (ANI): In a startling case of land fraud reported from Punjab's Ferozepur by a whistleblower, a...
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 3 (ANI): In a major relief for borrowers, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced that banks...