On Monday, the World Health Organization renamed monkeypox as mpox, citing concerns that the original name of the decades-old animal disease could be construed as discriminatory and racist. According to the World Health Organization, both monkeypox and mpox will be used for the next year as the old name is phased out.

The agency stated that they started consulting experts about renaming the disease shortly after the monkeypox outbreak was declared a global emergency in August 2022. Mpox was first named monkeypox in 1958 when research monkeys in Denmark were observed to have a pox-like disease, although they are not thought to be the disease′s animal reservoir.

Until May, monkeypox was thought to originate in animals and was not established as a well-known trigger for large outbreaks beyond central and west Africa. The disease is known to affect people who come into contact with infected animals, such as rodents and squirrels. However, once the disease started spreading outside of Africa, scientists revealed that nearly all cases were reported among gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men. 

(Source: https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/who-renames-monkeypox-as-mpox-citing-racism-discrimination-concerns-122112800826_1.html )