Chinanews.com, November 29. According to the website of the United Nations, the World Health Organization announced on November 28 that it would change the English name of monkeypox from monkeypox to mpox to avoid discrimination and stigmatization.
A color transmission electron micrograph of monkeypox particles (orange) found in infected cells (brown) grown in a lab in Maryland, U.S., on July 26, 2022 local time.
Image source: Visual China
According to reports, monkeypox virus was named when it was first discovered in 1958.
The disease was first discovered in humans in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970. Since then, human-to-human transmission has been mainly confined to certain West and Central African countries and is endemic.
However, in May this year, monkeypox outbreaks occurred in many countries in Europe, the Americas, and the Western Pacific, where monkeypox virus had never been found before.
As of November 28, 110 countries and regions have reported 81,107 confirmed cases and 55 deaths to WHO.
Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease caused by monkeypox virus infection.
The initial symptoms of monkeypox infection in humans include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, and swollen lymph nodes. Later, it can develop into a large-scale rash on the face and body.
Most patients recover within a few weeks, but some become seriously ill.