# 7307
We’ve called it the Novel coronavirus, nCoV, NCoV, HCoV-EMC, MERS, MERS-CoV, and even betacoronavirus 2c EMC2012 . . .
Not since Shirley Ellis hit the top of the charts in 1964 with her `Bo-nana song’ have there been so many names used to describe a single entity.
A little over two weeks ago, Martin Enserink reported the details of a new naming convention (see Picking A Novel Name For A Novel Virus) for the novel coronavirus, proposed by an international group of experts.
Their solution?
Call it Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Or just MERS.
Their paper was published last week in the Journal of Virology (see Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV); Announcement of the Coronavirus Study Group) and the World Health Organization appeared to embrace the term in an update released on May 16th.
Novel coronavirus update – new virus to be called MERS-CoV
The issue would seem to have been settled.
But as recently as this morning’s update (see WHO Coronavirus (nCoV) Update On Tunisian Cases), the WHO continues to use nCoV instead of MERS or MERS-CoV – leaving journalists and bloggers more than a bit confused about what we are supposed to call it.
Apparently I’m not alone in this quandary, as Reuters has a report this morning from Kate Kelland, their Health and Science Correspondent, where she asks the WHO about this disparity.
When it comes to deadly viruses, what's in a name?
By Kate Kelland, Health and Science Correspondent
LONDON | Wed May 22, 2013 6:24pm IST
(Reuters) - For a pathogen with such a short history, the mysterious new virus killing people in the Middle East and Europe has already had an amazing array of names.
Follow the link to read the entire article, but the bottom line – which is literally reported in the bottom line of the article – is that an unnamed `WHO spokesman’ is quoted as saying today:
". . . . we are going to be using the new name in all our updates".
Perhaps this will finally settle the issue.
