世卫组织宣布猴痘新名称 WHO renames monkeypox to 'mpox'

世界卫生组织近日宣布“mpox”为猴痘的新名称，以避免原名可能造成的污名化。来自45个国家和地区的代表参与了世卫组织此次有关为猴痘更名的磋商。

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced Monday that it will begin using "mpox" as a synonym for monkeypox out of concern that the current name has given rise to racism and discrimination.

世界卫生组织11月28日宣布“mpox”为猴痘的新名称，以避免原名“monkeypox”可能造成的种族主义和污名化。

Both names will be used simultaneously for one year while monkeypox is phased out. WHO said the decision was made following a series of consultations with global experts.

世卫组织表示，两个名称将在未来一年内同时使用，原名称将被逐步淘汰。世卫组织表示，这一决定是在与全球专家进行了一系列磋商后做出的。

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the virus that causes the disease was discovered in captive monkeys in 1958. When the first human case was recorded in 1970, the virus was named monkeypox that year.

据美国疾病控制与预防中心称，1958年，人们在圈养的猴子身上发现了导致这种疾病的病毒。当1970年第一例人类病例被记录下来时，该病毒被命名为猴痘。

Despite being named monkeypox, the source of the disease is unknown, the CDC said. Research indicated that African rodents and nonhuman primates like monkeys might harbor the virus and infect people.

尽管被命名为猴痘，但这种疾病的来源尚不清楚。研究表明，非洲啮齿动物和猴子等非人灵长类动物可能携带病毒并感染人类。

Prior to the worldwide outbreak of monkeypox this year, it had been mostly reported in people in several central and western African countries. So far, the US has recorded nearly 30,000 cases of monkeypox and 14 confirmed deaths. Worldwide, more than 80,000 cases were reported.

在今年世界范围内爆发之前，猴痘主要在几个中非和西非国家的人群中报告。到目前为止，美国已经记录了近3万例猴痘病例和14例确诊死亡病例。全球报告的病例超过8万例。

After monkeypox spread globally this year, racist and stigmatizing language online was reported to WHO. Several individuals and countries raised concerns and asked WHO to propose a name change.

今年以来，一些国家和地区暴发猴痘疫情后，网络上出现了涉及种族主义和污名化的言论。一些个人和国家已就猴痘名称提出关切，要求世卫组织提出更名建议。

【相关词汇】

公共卫生风险 public health risk

全球大流行 a global pandemic

免疫低下者 immunosuppressed persons

疫情源头 the source of the outbreak

疑似病例 suspected cases

（来源：新华社  编辑：yaning）