Health experts through the World Health Organization (WHO) have come up with new names for monkeypox strains using Roman numerals, according to a statement sent Friday.
A group of global virologists and public health experts met on Monday and have now decided to use a Roman numeral for branch – or strain – and a lowercase alphanumeric character for subscripts or substrings.
The former branch of monkeypox in the Congo Basin (Central Africa) will now be known as Clade one (I) and the former West African clade as Clade two (II). In addition, it was agreed that Clade II consisted of two subdivisions, the World Health Organization said.
Scientists They demanded a change In how we talk about monkeypox and its strains to use less distinct terms to describe infections that have emerged around the world.
Scientists believe that changing the way we communicate about the disease will promote the sharing of more knowledge about the outbreak and can help reduce negative impacts.
WHO officials said the name changes are in better line with current naming practices in use today.
According to the World Health Organization, monkeypox virus was first detected in lab monkeys – hence the name – at a research facility in Copenhagen in 1958. Monkey pox was first identified after 12 years.
A WHO statement sent on Friday said the WHO is currently naming new viruses with the aim of not offending any cultural, social, national, regional, professional or ethnic group.
The World Health Organization is also consulting on the name of a new disease for monkeypox.
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