As part of ongoing efforts to align the names of the monkeypox disease, virus and variants – or clades – with current best practice, a group of global experts convened by WHO agreed on new names for monkeypox virus variants. They agreed to name the clades using Roman numerals.
New names for monkeypox virus Monkeypox virus was named when it was first discovered in 1958. This was before current best practices in disease and virus naming were adopted. This is also true for the name of the disease it causes. The major variants were identified by the geographic regions where they were known to circulate. Current best practice is that newly identified viruses, related diseases and virus variants should be given names in order to avoid offending any cultural, social, national, regional, professional or ethnic groups and to minimize any impact negative on trade. , travel, tourism or animal welfare. Disease: The attribution of new names to existing diseases is the responsibility of WHO within the framework of the International Classification of Diseases and the WHO Family of International Health-Related Classifications (WHO-FIC). WHO holds open consultation for new disease name for monkeypox
New names for Monkeypox virus, The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) is responsible for naming virus species. ICTV currently has a process underway to name the monkeypox virus. Variant naming for existing pathogens is usually the result of debate among scientists. To expedite agreement in the context of the current outbreak, the WHO convened an ad hoc meeting on August 8 to allow virologists and public health experts to reach consensus on new terminology. Experts in smallpox virology, evolutionary biology, and representatives from research institutions around the world reviewed the phylogeny and nomenclature of known and new monkeypox virus variants or clades. They discussed the characteristics and evolution of monkeypox virus variants, their apparent phylogenetic and clinical differences, and potential implications for public health and future virological and evolutionary research.
Source: This news was originally published by scitechdaily
