The World Health Organization says it will give a new name to the disease formerly known as monkeypox. They haven't announced the new name yet, but they said it will be "neutral, non-discriminatory and non-stigmatizing."
From Gizmodo:
The virus was first discovered in monkeys in the 1950s, and by the 1970s, it became apparent that it could infect and sicken humans occasionally as well. But the virus's natural hosts are actually thought to be rodents. And up until recently, human outbreaks have been limited to certain parts of Africa and fueled largely by animal-to-human transmission. This year, however, the virus has infected at least hundreds of people in over two dozen countries and there is clear evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission. And the genetic signature of the virus found in these newer outbreaks suggests that it's been circulating outside Africa for longer than we knew.
I think the new name should be Poxy McPoxface.
