Naming Viruses

19 March 2023
Habiba Yehia

Yes, there's a serious scientific process for naming viruses. The name that sticks,
though, is a different matter.
The official scientific name of a virus is determined by the International
Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. Members choose it based on suggestions
sent to them by the scientists who are researching a new virus to figure out how
to classify it based on its morphology (i.e. its size and shape), its chemical
structure, and the way it reproduces. On
the other hand, a virus’s popular name
often starts circulating before the official
one can be picked, and these names—
often linked to the countries or regions
where they began—can be deeply
offensive.
Many viruses are caused by diseases.
Therefore, they get named after them.
Chickenpox is an example. The name chickenpox has been around for centuries,
and there are a number of theories as to how it got its name. One is that it's from
the blisters that are seen with the illness. These red spots — which are about 1/5
inch to 2/5 inch (5mm to 10mm) wide — were once thought to look like chickpeas
(garbanzo beans). Another theory is that the rash of chickenpox looks like the
peck marks caused by a chicken.
Some viruses are named after the organism they infect. One example is
bacteriophages. The term was derived from "bacteria" and the Greek meaning "to
devour". In fact, the word "bacteriophage" literally means "bacteria eater,"
because bacteriophages destroy their host cells. All bacteriophages are composed
of a nucleic acid molecule that is surrounded by a protein structure. A
bacteriophage attaches itself to a susceptible bacterium and infects the host cell.
Infectious diseases throughout history have been named for geographic
locations where they were thought to have originated: Spanish flu, West Nile
virus, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, Zika, and Ebola.
By that logic, it may seem that there’s nothing inherently wrong with referring
to the novel coronavirus as the “Wuhan virus” or the “Chinese virus,” language
which Trump used and defended using. Wuhan is, after all, considered the first
epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has since become a global pandemic.
Although people name viruses after the places they originated, it can sometimes
be inaccurate or misleading. For example, what’s commonly referred to as the
Spanish flu. Despite its name, most researchers agree that the H1N1 virus that
swept the world in 1918 and 1919 didn’t originate in Spain, although there’s no
universal agreement on its exact origins. Instead, the virus came to be associated
with Spain for reasons that were largely political.
An eponymous is a virus named after a person. Eponyms are a longstanding
tradition in Western science and medicine. Being awarded an eponym is regarded
as an honor. Eponymous disease examples are Lou Gehrig disease, Hartnup
disease, Mortimer disease, Machado–Joseph disease, Miss Havisham syndrome,
Plyushkin syndrome, and Munchausen syndrome.

This research was made with the help of Lela Nargi, CNN.
https://www.rd.com/article/how-do-viruses-get-their-names/
https://www.childrensmn.org/educationmaterials/parents/article/9151/how-did-chickenpox-get-its-
name/#:~:text=One%20is%20that%20it's%20from,marks%20caused%20by%20a%20chicken.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacteriophage
https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/28/us/disease-outbreaks-coronavirus-naming-trnd/
index.html#:~:text=Infectious%20diseases%20throughout%20history%20have,Ebola%2C%20to
%20name%20a%20few.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_eponymous_diseases