The World Health Organization stated Monday that it will start referring to monkeypox as mpox in an effort to scale back stigma across the identify of the virus.

Both names will probably be used concurrently for a yr whereas moneypox is phased out, the worldwide well being group stated in a post on its website, encouraging others to comply with the brand new naming conference.

The choice comes after the identify monkeypox — so named after first being recognized in monkeys — was criticized for including to racial and sexual stigmatization.

Monkeypox is a uncommon viral an infection that has undergone its largest global outbreak this year, spreading considerably in non-endemic nations outdoors of West and Central Africa, and primarily amongst homosexual and bisexual males.

The identify mpox was chosen after the WHO launched a public consultation process earlier this yr, opening out a course of often reserved for a closed door technical committee.

Poxy McPoxface, TRUMP-22 and mpox have been amongst a number of the names submitted.

The WHO stated it hoped the chosen identify mpox would “minimize any ongoing negative impact of the current name.”

The identify mpox was submitted by males’s well being group Rezo. Its director stated on the time that he hoped the removing of monkey imagery helped individuals take the well being emergency significantly.

Over 81,000 instances of monkeypox and 55 deaths have been reported throughout 110 nations, to date this yr, in response to the WHO.