SWITZERLAND- The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced new names for monkeypox viral variants as part of ongoing work to accurately identify the disease.
The global health agency brought together a committee of international specialists that decided on the names that will be used to identify the clade.
The panel came to an agreement on updated terminology for the virus clades that follows industry standards and also agreed on how the virus clades should be listed and organized on genomic sequence repository sites.
The new names succeed the old naming system where major varieties were classified according to the geographical areas in which they were believed to be prevalent.
The old Congo Basin (Central African) clade was agreed to be referred to as Clade one (I) and the former West African clade as Clade two (II). Furthermore, it was determined that Clade II had two subclades.
A Roman numeral for the clade and a lower-case alphanumeric character for the subclades will serve as symbols for the correct naming structure.
As a result, the new nomenclature includes Clade I, Clade IIa, and Clade IIb, with the latter designating the set of variations that were mostly in circulation during the 2022 global pandemic.
The committee also discussed the properties and evolution of monkeypox virus variants, and their apparent phylogenetic and clinical variations.
It also explored possible ramifications for future virological and evolutionary studies as well as for public health.
In 89 countries and regions globally, there have been 27,814 laboratory-confirmed cases of monkeypox, with Europe and the Americas being the most severely affected, according to the WHO’s situation update on the outbreak.
The current multi-country monkeypox outbreak was formally deemed a public health emergency of worldwide concern by WHO in late July.
In 89 countries and regions globally, there have been 27,814 laboratory-confirmed cases of monkeypox, with Europe and the Americas being the most severely affected, according to the WHO’s situation update on the outbreak.
As the outbreak develops, lineages will be given the names that experts have suggested. The experts added that they will meet again if necessary.
Under the International Classification of Diseases and the WHO Family of International Health Related Classifications, it is the obligation of WHO to provide new names to existing diseases (WHO-FIC).
Public consultation on a new disease nomenclature for monkeypox is being held by WHO and anyone wishing to propose new names can do so through WHO.
WHO added that the new names for the clades should go into effect immediately while work continues on the disease and virus names.
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