In 2022, the name 'monkeypox' was nixed. Now the U.S. is reviving it
September 12, 2025
The World Health Organization renamed monkeypox as mpox in 2022 to reduce racist and stigmatizing associations, reflecting both scientific accuracy and respect for affected communities. Now, the U.S. government has quietly reverted to the old name, sparking confusion and criticism from clinicians and researchers. Experts warn that returning to “monkeypox” undermines years of public health progress, revives harmful stereotypes against Black and LGBTQ+ people, and risks distracting from urgent response needs. Words matter in health communication. Reverting to stigmatizing terminology risks eroding trust, deepening divisions, and weakening the global unity required to combat mpox outbreaks effectively and compassionately.
In 2022, the World Health Organization officially replaced the name monkeypox with mpox, a decision rooted in science and public health ethics. The virus does not originate from monkeys but from small mammals like rodents. More importantly, the old name carried deep racial and homophobic connotations. Black physicians and researchers reported being targeted with racist abuse, while LGBTQ+ communities faced stigma based on false assumptions about transmission. For patients and clinicians alike, the renaming was a necessary step to shift attention to the real threat: an expanding viral outbreak.
Yet in August 2025, the U.S. government quietly reverted to using “monkeypox.” The Department of Health and Human Services issued statements with the outdated term, echoed by the State Department, without explanation. Infectious disease experts call the move baffling, unnecessary, and potentially damaging. Dr. Boghuma Titanji, who advocated for the name change after personally receiving racist harassment tied to the old terminology, warns that this shift risks reopening wounds and creating new barriers to trust between vulnerable communities and the health system.
Beyond stigma, inconsistency in terminology may also confuse the public, fracture global communication, and complicate outbreak reporting. The WHO transition to mpox was intended to align language across nations, reduce harmful narratives, and establish clarity. By breaking from that consensus, U.S. health officials risk politicizing disease nomenclature at a moment when global cooperation is critical.
Public health thrives on accurate, sensitive, and unified messaging. Rolling back to “monkeypox” feels less like science and more like political provocation. In the face of rising outbreaks across Africa and beyond, the focus should be on strengthening surveillance, delivering vaccines, and combating misinformation. Respectful, consistent terminology is a basic but vital part of building the trust needed to succeed.