• NobodyElse@sh.itjust.works
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    2 days ago

    I’m not getting how this is anti-woke. Wasn’t it first discovered in monkeys? What does mpox mean and why is that better? Can someone explain?

    • cynar@piefed.social
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      2 days ago

      It was first found in monkeys, but actually originated in rodents. It should technically be rodentpox.

      Also, racists and homophobes used it to create stigma against gay men. In was/is particularly prevalent in that group. There were rumours that you caught it from sex with monkeys.

      Basically it was renamed to pull the teeth of a nasty and insulting use, and to break a misunderstanding on its source.

      • TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Does it? It seems like its actually obscuring the fact that actually the technical name for the species is Orthopoxvirus monkeypox.

        • plantfanatic@sh.itjust.works
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          2 days ago

          Does the fact the technical name is wrong because of how it was wrongly classified just go right over your head then…?

          It came from rodents, it should be Orthopoxvirus rodentpox. And the article explains THAT. Sheesh it’s like you people can’t stand that something was wrong and is trying to be corrected, because of all the other drama.

          Again, this was ALL well explained in the linked article.

          • TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world
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            2 days ago

            I linked above: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkeypox_virus

            Its been 3 years and the Wikipedia, which I consider to a most reliable source (in general). They don’t use Mpox. They use Monkeypox.

            Its not a matter of anything going over any ones heads. I’ve at least studied these things (taxonomy and naming and nomenclature) specifically. The WHO isn’t necessarily some authority who creates these kinds of mandates. There are congresses on these matters for most domains where naming is important.

            • plantfanatic@sh.itjust.works
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              2 days ago

              Wikipedia isn’t a source, use their sources as sources…

              And that article (yes Wikipedia is articles… and not sources) is a bloody mess anyways.

              Smallpox and monkeypox viruses are both orthopoxviruses, and the smallpox vaccine is effective against mpox if

              Symptoms of mpox in humans incl

              They don’t even know what to call it, and keep changing it throughout the article lol. So yeah, great source to use for what to call it… and cherry pick the one you want to boot!