The World Health Organization began accepting suggestions to rename monkeypox Aug. 12, but a decision has yet to be made, Bloomberg reported Sept. 28.
Calls to rename the condition coincided with the start of the current global outbreak, with critics saying the name fuels stigma toward people who live in the regions in Africa where the disease is endemic.
"We know they're paying attention; the question is when are they going to take action," Jeremy Faust, MD, an emergency medicine physician at Boston-based Brigham and Women's Hospital, told Bloomberg. "The frustration for me is I'm still seeing patients, and the stigma is a barrier for them to get tested, which contributes to the spread of the virus."
Dr. Faust submitted his own suggestion, Opoxid-22, as he believes diseases should be named as "scientifically and plainly" as possible to reflect only what is known.
WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic told Bloomberg the organization is expecting the report and recommendations soon. "The process for exploring new or additional names for existing diseases has been greatly accelerated," Mr. Jasarevic said. "This normally occurs over the course of one or more annual cycles of review."