LONDON: The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced it was holding an open forum to rename the monkeypox disease after some critics raised concerns that the name could be derogatory or have racist connotations.

In a statement on Friday, the United Nations health agency said it had also renamed two families, or clades, of the virus, using Roman numerals instead of geographic areas, to avoid stigmatization. The version of the disease formerly known as the Congo Basin will now be known as Clade one or I and the West Africa clade will be known as Clade two or II.