Urgent need for a non-discriminatory and non-stigmatizing nomenclature for monkeypox virus
Christian Happi, Ifedayo Adetifa, Placide Mbala, Richard Njouom, Emmanuel Nakouné, Anise Happi, Nnaemeka Ndodo, Oyeronke Ayansola, Gerald Mboowa, Trevor Bedford, Richard A. Neher, Cornelius Roemer, Emma B. Hodcroft, Houriiyah Tegally, Áine O’Toole, Andrew Rambaut, Oliver G. Pybus, Moritz U. G. Kraemer, Eduan Wilkinson, Joana Isidro, Vítor Borges, Miguel Pinto, João Paulo Gomes, Lucas Freitas, Paola Cristina Resende, Raphael Tze Chuen Lee, Sebastian Maurer‐Stroh, Cheryl Baxter, Richard Lessells, Ahmed E. Ogwell, Yenew Kebede, Sofonías K. Tessema, Túlio de Oliveira
Abstract
We propose a novel, non-discriminatory classification of monkeypox virus diversity. Together with the World Health Organization, we named three clades (I, IIa and IIb) in order of detection. Within IIb, the cause of the current global outbreak, we identified multiple lineages (A.1, A.2, A.1.1 and B.1) to support real-time genomic surveillance.