The California Department of Public Health is now using the code MPX to describe Monkeypox, according to a statement from the department.
Citing concerns about stigma associated with the name of the illness, CDPH uses monkeypox only on “first use” in written documents or correspondence. The second time the illness is referred to, the department uses MPX. As for conversations, “CDPH uses M-POX (em-pox) in spoken language,” CDPH told KRON4.
CDPH states it has been using MPX for approximately a week.
In June the World Health Organization announced it would be changing the name of the disease. This decision came after a paper authored by more than 30 scientists around the world stated that the name monkeypox can be discriminatory and stigmatizing.
As of August 20, the Los Angeles County Public Health has recorded 1,105 confirmed cases of Monkeypox, including cases in Long Beach and Pasadena.
View the updated Monkeypox LA County dashboard