WHO changed the name of Monkeypox Disease as 'Mpox' to Avoid Racist Stereotypes and Stigma. According to The Times of India, "Both names — mpox and monkeypox — will be used simultaneously for one year while the latter is phased out, the WHO said in a statement on Monday. The change comes after several individuals and countries raised concerns in several meetings and asked the WHO to propose a way to change the name.

The one-year transition period mitigates experts' concerns about the confusion caused by a name change in the middle of a global outbreak. It also gives time to complete the International Classification of Diseases update process and to update WHO publications, Xinhua news agency reported.

In July, the WHO officially declared the multi-country monkeypox outbreak outside of the traditional endemic areas in Africa a public health emergency of international concern, the highest level of alert that the global health authority can issue."

They also said, "The WHO is responsible for assigning names to new and existing diseases through a consultative process, including the WHO member states. The consultation on monkeypox has involved representatives from government authorities of 45 countries, it said.

According to the WHO, as of Saturday, 110 member states had reported 81,107 laboratory-confirmed cases and 1,526 probable cases, including 55 deaths. Most cases reported in the past four weeks were from the Americas (92.3%) and Europe (5.8%). The weekly reported new cases globally decreased by 46.1% from November 21 to November 27."

The name of the disease was changed to avoid the racism. This move by WHO proves that the organization takes care of the emotions of the individuals while taking care of the health of the masses.

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