International Scientific Community Deliberates Official Name for Novel Coronavirus... "Must Include 'SARS'"

Domestic New Coronavirus, Overseas Wuhan Virus... Need for Official Name
Virus Originating from Bats Like SARS... Also Calls to Include 'SARS' in the Name

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[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The international scientific community is deeply deliberating over the official name of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia), which is spreading worldwide. As different countries use various names such as 'novel coronavirus,' 'Wuhan virus,' and '2019-nCoV,' there are calls for a unified name. The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that the official name will be decided by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV), and within ICTV, there are arguments that the new name should include SARS due to its many similarities with SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome).

According to the Washington Post (WP) on the 6th (local time), the international scientific community is reportedly considering a new name for the novel coronavirus that is a variation of 'SARS' (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). Currently, the novel coronavirus is referred to by different names in various countries. Earlier, on the 30th of last month, WHO recommended the provisional name '2019 nCoV acute respiratory disease' in its situation report and added that the official name would be decided by ICTV.

The name 'novel coronavirus,' currently used by many countries, is the term generally used by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, the term 'novel coronavirus' is criticized for being imprecise as it broadly refers to a wide range of viruses, including common colds. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases under the U.S. CDC, said, "People will probably change the name by the time they catch their breath." Some refer to the disease as 'Wuhan virus' or 'Wuhan flu' because it originated in Wuhan, China. However, experts are concerned about the name since it is a completely different virus from the flu.

Within ICTV, there are arguments that the new official name should include SARS, considering the similarities between the novel coronavirus and SARS. Stanley Perlman, a virologist and member of the coronavirus research group under ICTV, explained, "The novel coronavirus and SARS are like cousins," adding, "Both viruses likely originated from the same ancestor in bats in the past and have since undergone mutations and evolution." He further stated, "From a classification perspective, the novel coronavirus is related to existing viruses, so it is necessary to include the existing virus name."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.