Nagpur: The World Health Organization (WHO) is all set to rename the monkeypox virus that has spread to over 30 countries.
The move comes after concerns raised by a group of international scientists about the virus strain name’s ‘discriminatory’ nature. There have been over 1,600 confirmed cases and 1,500 suspected cases of monkeypox reported across the globe.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on Tuesday announced that the health agency is working with partners and member states to develop a mechanism for fair access to vaccines and treatments.
The WHO chief also said that the experts are considering changing the name of the virus and will be announcing the new name as soon as possible. The world health agency claims that the outbreak of the monkeypox virus is unusual and concerning.
To tackle the spread of the virus, the WHO has called for an emergency meeting on June 23. Till now, no case of the monkeypox virus has been detected in India.
