The World Health Organization feels that the time has come to bring changes in how experts give name to new diseases. The basis for health experts to name new diseases usually includes place, communities and animals like swine flu. The WHO believes that it’s a wrong practice as such names have a negative effect on societies.

The issue was discussed in detail during a recent WHO conference. High officials gave their views with some saying that particular communities and regions are the likely targets for contemporary names, which has adverse impact on the economy of those geographical regions.

Dr. Keiji Fukuda, assistant director general for health, said the issue must not be trivialized, as has a great potential to become a severe plight of people who have a direct connection with it.

The officials gave examples by highlighting names of diseases like Middle East respiratory, German measles that tarnished the image of specific communities. They also said that naming a disease after animals isn’t good as elicits hate in people against those animals, and often in cruelty towards them. The guidelines are meant for the guidance of International Classification of Diseases (ICD).

“We've seen certain disease names provoke a backlash against members of particular religious or ethnic communities, create unjustified barriers to travel, commerce and trade, and trigger needless slaughtering of food animals. This can have serious consequences for people's lives and livelihoods”, said Keiji Fukuda, WHO's assistant director-general for health security.

The WHO said that it is very important now that an appropriate name is used for a disease by anyone who first reports on a newly identified human disease. The name has to be scientific and acceptable for society. Generic descriptive terms should be used to name a new disease, said the WHO.