Monkeypox is being renamed by the World Health Organization, which is collaborating with specialists to come up with a new term.
It comes after more than 30 experts called for a "non-discriminatory and non-stigmatizing" term for the virus and the disease it causes in a letter published last week.
They claim that referring to the virus as African is both misleading and racist.
In the last few weeks, almost 1,600 instances of the illness have been reported throughout the world.
While 72 people have died in countries where monkeypox is already endemic, no one has died in the newly impacted 32 nations, including the United Kingdom.
As of the 12th of June, 452 confirmed cases had been reported in England, 12 in Scotland, 2 in Northern Ireland, and 4 in Wales.
The World Health Organization said an emergency conference will be held next week to decide whether the epidemic should be classified as a public health emergency of worldwide concern, the highest level of alert the UN body can issue.
Swine flu, polio, Ebola, Zika, and Covid are the only other illnesses for which this has occurred in the past.
"The epidemic of monkeypox is unprecedented and worrying," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization.
"As a result, I've decided to call a meeting of the Emergency Committee under international health standards next week to determine if this epidemic is a public health emergency of worldwide importance."
What exactly is monkeypox?
The monkeypox virus, a member of the same viral family as smallpox, causes monkeypox, however it is far less severe.
Scientists have proposed the moniker hMPXV as a new name for it, but we'll have to wait and see what the WHO thinks.
Although infections are typically minor and the risk to the general public is negligible, the UK government has purchased smallpox vaccine in case further instances arise.
In recent months, the virus has spread in an unprecedented way over the world. Previous epidemics have mostly been limited to portions of Africa, where rodents, rather than monkeys, are likely to be the primary animal hosts.
The infection results in a rash that resembles chickenpox. When someone comes into intimate touch with an infected person, the virus can spread.
Although it hasn't been classified as a sexually transmitted infection, it may be spread through intimate contact.
Anyone who has the virus should avoid having sex while they are experiencing symptoms.
blogpay
