mpox

It was a big year for viruses, which simply refused to be ignored. And unlike the previous two years, COVID had to share the spotlight.

Cases of Mpox, which was previously named monkeypox, peaked in August and fell steadily over the past months to a daily average of seven new cases by the end of November.

"Removing 'monkey' removes the stigma that monkeypox comes with," an expert tells NPR. But he questions why the World Health Organization will wait a year for the change to take full effect.