Without explanation, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under the Trump administration has reverted from using the disease name “mpox” to the obsolete “monkeypox,” which the world abandoned in 2022 because it was seen as racist and stigmatizing.
Mpox is the name of the disease caused by Orthopoxvirus monkeypox, a relative of smallpox and cowpox that has exploded to global prominence in recent years. In 2022 and 2024, the spread of mpox caused the World Health Organization to declare international public health emergencies.
Amid the attention, health officials became acutely aware of the problematic name.