Thread by @firefoxx66

Our paper on relabelling the internal clades of the #monkeypox to be non-geographical, & proposing a new lineage naming system within Clade IIb, is now out in @PLOSBiology 🙌🏻
This has been an international effort I'm humbled to be part of.

journals.plos.org/plosbiology/ar…

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Because it seems like there's a lot of misunderstanding around this paper/proposal - our paper does *not* touch on renaming the #monkeypox virus itself.
We focus on switching to more structured, non-stigmatizing & standardized naming within the virus phylogeny.

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Contrary to what many people believe, there are long-standing efforts to name new viruses, & re-label old virus-related terms (like clades/lineages/strains), to avoid potentially stigmatizing & often inaccurate names. But previously, you didn't hear of it in the media! 😁

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Names are powerful, & they matter. Many people still believe the 1918 pandemic flu started in Spain due to the nickname 'Spanish flu' - over 100 years later!

By being more conscientious in our naming, we can give better, more accurate, & more useful names.

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And we scientists are also great at multitasking: while we consider the clade/lineage names in #monkeypox, we can also lobby for equity in vaccines/treatment & raise awareness that MPX has previously not gotten the scientific attention it deserved. It's not either-or!

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It's been an honour to be part of the group working on this, in particular, Andrew Rambaut @borges__vitor @richardneher @Tuliodna @trvrb @CorneliusRoemer @NikitaSitharam @CrystalGigante @christian_happi @IfedayoTiffy @GeraldGmboowa @laktarr001 @sofoniaskt @houzhou

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@EvolveDotZoo @AineToole @AngieHinrichs @MOUGK @EduanWilkinson, and coordination with
@WHO, @acegid & @AfricaCDC & the Africa-based contributors Placide Mbala, Richard Njouom, Emmanuel Nakoune, Anise Happi, Nnaemeka Ndodo, & Oyeronke Ayansola

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These new clades/lineages are only a small step, but I hope one that is helpful in raising awareness & decreasing stigma, as we all continue to work hard to advance our scientific understanding of #monkeypox & advocate for a better & more equitable global #MPX strategy.

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