World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that it recommends the use of mpox Instead monkeypox To refer to the virus.
But long before the official amendment, a Montreal community organization pioneered a grassroots movement for its own change.
REZO Santé, a non-profit organization that supports the health needs of the gay and bisexual community, has been running an awareness campaign for months on the spread of the virus and the subsequent use of the term mpox.
“I believe it should not have been called like this [monkeypox]said Steve Bastian, a community activist from Rejo Sante.
“When we hear ‘monkey’ and when we think the outbreak is from Africa, we associate people and Africa with monkeys. We forget that we are talking about humans who live discrimination and prejudice. Can
Mpox is a contagious disease that causes a range of symptoms including fever, headache and a painful rash.
Last summer, Montreal was declared the epicenter of a worldwide Mpox outbreak.
Many of the cases affected the city’s gay community.
Dr. Regine Thomas, founder of L’Actuel Clinique, says the name monkeypox brought a lot of stigma to her patients.
“Most gay men, probably older, who discovered AIDS in the ’80s. They were very sensitive to the word ‘monkeypox,’ to the disease, to this new epidemic. There were some similarities,” Dr. Thomas said. .
“For many of them, it was a bad souvenir.”
This was one of the reasons that REZO took action.
During Pride month, the non-profit enlisted the help of several well-known drag queens who were already using the term mpox to promote vaccination.
Another video on REZO’s account shows New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh referring to the virus as mpox.
The organization also met with Canadian health officials to discuss the use of the term instead of monkeypox.
“We’re basically trying to lead the rest of the country on how to properly respond to this outbreak,” said Sam Miriello, director of human resources for Rizzo Sante.
So when the WHO invited people to submit their name proposals for renaming, REZO officials say they took advantage of the opportunity, submitting the name mpox.
WHO renames monkeypox to ‘mpox’ after concerns of racism
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On Monday, when the WHO announced that it was upholding the term, REZO activists celebrated.
“Changing the word for ‘M’ or ‘mpox’ is a win because we finally have a word, a word that is more inclusive,” Bastian said.
“I am very proud and mostly happy for our populations and communities.”
The WHO says the two names will be used together for a year, while the term monkeypox has been dropped.
Monkeypox ‘almost eradicated’ in Montreal, once the epicenter of the virus outbreak in Canada
While the disease has been nearly eradicated in Montreal due to vaccination, Dr. Thomas says change may not happen that quickly.
“They can change that today,” Dr. Thomas said.
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