The decision reportedly comes after the Biden administration exerted increasing pressure, requesting that the WHO change the name.

In June, the World Health Organization announced that it would find a new name for the disease, in line with its policy to avoid misleading associations with specific regions or animals.

Since early May 2022, cases of monkeypox have been reported in countries where the disease is not endemic, and continue to be reported in several endemic countries. Most confirmed cases with travel history reported travel to countries in Europe and North America, rather than West or Central Africa where the monkeypox virus is endemic. This is the first time that many monkeypox cases and clusters have been reported concurrently in non-endemic and endemic countries in widely disparate geographical areas.

Most reported cases so far have been identified through sexual health or other health services in primary or secondary healthcare facilities and have involved mainly men who have sex with men. (ILKHA)