Further proving that the World Health Organization is misguided at best, useless at worst, the agency is out asking "for the public's help" in...not combating monkeypox...but re-naming it.
At least we know the agency has its priorities in order...
The WHO was out this past week asking for new names for monkeypox "part of an ongoing effort to discourage harmful misconceptions associated with the current name," according to Bloomberg.
“WHO
is holding an open consultation for a new disease name for monkeypox.
Anyone wishing to propose new names can do so,” the agency said in an
actual statement that was drafted up by someone who could have been
allocating their energy to actually fighting the virus.
We're calling on @WHO to act immediately to rename the “monkeypox” virus. We have a growing concern for the potentially stigmatizing effects that the messaging around the “monkeypox” virus can have on vulnerable communities. Read our letter: https://t.co/hC6L8o60TH pic.twitter.com/G8CQ9ueaMJ
— Commissioner Ashwin Vasan, MD, PhD (@NYCHealthCommr) July 26, 2022
And the excellent use of resources doesn't stop there. The WHO has also set up an online portal for people to submit ideas. The renaming of the virus follows "demands from international scientists" and "public health officials" who have claimed that the current name encourages a harmful stigma.
The same web programmers that have set up the online naming portal have also apparently decided to leave the name "MONKEYPOX" scattered across the WHO's website:
And if you think the name is bad, wait until you actually get the virus.
The outbreak now stands at more than 31,000 cases since May, with the most coming from the U.S. The virus has been disproportionately spread by men who have sex with men, Bloomberg noted.
The virus was discovered in 1958 before "best practices" for naming diseases and viruses were adopted.
We'll open up the submitting just to get everyone started. How about the "Poo Flu"?
