US Reverts to Controversial Disease Name After Global Rebrand
▼ Summary
– The CDC under the Trump administration has reverted to using the outdated name “monkeypox” without explanation, abandoning the non-stigmatizing name “mpox” adopted globally in 2022.
– Mpox is caused by Orthopoxvirus monkeypox, a virus related to smallpox and cowpox, which led to international public health emergencies in 2022 and 2024.
– The name “monkeypox” is a misnomer because the virus was discovered in captive Asian monkeys in 1958, but its natural hosts are likely African rodents, not monkeys.
– The term “monkey” has historically been used as a racial slur against Black people, contributing to the name being viewed as racist and stigmatizing.
– The 2022 outbreak was linked to sexual networks of men who have sex with men, leading to clinicians facing racist and homophobic abuse similar to the early HIV/AIDS pandemic.
The United States has unexpectedly returned to using the term “monkeypox” for the viral illness, reversing a global shift to the name “mpox” that was widely adopted to reduce stigma and discrimination. This reversal by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under the previous administration occurred without public justification, raising concerns among public health advocates about the potential harm of reviving a label considered racially insensitive and scientifically inaccurate.
The disease, caused by the Orthopoxvirus monkeypox, is related to smallpox and cowpox. It gained worldwide attention during significant outbreaks in 2022 and 2024, prompting the World Health Organization to declare international public health emergencies on both occasions. As the virus spread, the problematic nature of its original name became a central topic of discussion among global health leaders.
The name “monkeypox” originated from its 1958 discovery in captive Asian monkeys that had been transported from Singapore to a research facility in Denmark. At the time, researchers presumed monkeys were the virus’s natural reservoir, but this theory has since been disproven. Human cases were first documented in the 1970s in West and Central Africa, and subsequent research has shown the virus can infect many animal species. Scientists now believe African rodents, especially certain types of squirrels, are the most likely natural hosts, not monkeys.
Beyond being a scientific misnomer, the term “monkeypox” carries deeply troubling social implications. The word “monkey” has historically been used as a racial slur against Black people. Compounding this issue, the 2022 outbreak was initially identified within sexual networks of men who have sex with men, which unfortunately evoked painful memories of the stigma and discrimination experienced during the early HIV/AIDS crisis. Healthcare workers responding to the emergency reported encountering significant racist and homophobic hostility, highlighting how the disease’s name can fuel harmful stereotypes and impede public health efforts.
(Source: Ars Technica)