For these reasons, experts want to rename Monkeypox

Monkeypox isn’t exactly the right name for a disease that infects many, and scientists want to do something about it.

The disease spreads quickly and is transmitted from person to person, with gay men being more likely to contract it. Monkeypox, similar to smallpox, got its name in the 1950s after Danish scientists first discovered the virus in laboratory monkeys, according to the New York Times.

Now that monkeypox has become a global problem, public health experts have urged those responsible to come up with a new name for the virus that is more accurate and fact-based. They hope that by doing this they can calm down homophobic, racist and ignorant rhetoric.

RELATED: Monkeypox cases are on the rise — here’s who can get a vaccine

Photo by Cole Keister via Pexels

dr Tulio de Oliveira, who works at a university in South Africa, along with other scientists wrote an open letter to the World Health Organization urging them to change the name of the disease as soon as possible. “Names are important, as is scientific accuracy, especially with pathogens and epidemics that we’re trying to control,” he said.

The open letter criticized media coverage of the issue, which made it appear that the disease originated in Africa and that most of the spread remains in that region, which is not true. dr Ifeanyi Nsofor, a Nigerian public health expert, called the spread of monkeypox a reminder of the AIDS crisis, a time when Africa was blamed for the spread of the pandemic due to poor medical supplies. He says that the fact that monkeypox affects men who sleep with men makes the two situations even more similar.

Concerns about the spread of monkeypox are rising in the US, with over 16,000 cases. While there are vaccines, there are shortages and misinformation, making for a confusing environment.

RELATED: CDC shares strange protection guidelines for monkeypox sex

The disease spreads through person-to-person contact and can be transmitted via contaminated surfaces. While children and women can get it, the demographic that is more exposed is men who have sex with men.

On August 5, a CDC report said that 99% of monkeypox cases occurred in men, with 94% of them reporting recent sexual contact with men. Because of this, it is important for these men to get vaccinated, especially if they live in a big city or an area where cases are high.