Words are never just words. Words are images. When we read words, we project visual images into our minds. That’s why how a virus is named may have more importance than we think. Yesterday I read a Forbes article which says that Google searches for “beer virus” and “Corona beer virus” have been on the rise since January 19, 2020 when the word “coronavirus “ started to appear in the media. Honestly, I have never made that association, but the name has made suggestions to certain people. While people are joking about the “beer virus”, the “Chinese virus” is less funny. Since the outbreak of 2019-nCoV, I’ve come across several French media that have used the word “virus chinois“—“Chinese virus“ in their titles and articles. While it’s true that the virus started from China and the most infected people today are Chinese, defining a virus by a population or a region risks creating a generalized image that will worsen the existing stereotypes, encourage racism, and mislead the public. (For example, people would think a non-Chinese person is by default virus-free but in reality, an expat recently coming back from Wuhan has a much higher chance to be a virus carrier.) In 2015, WHO called on scientists, national authorities and the media to follow best practices in naming new human infectious diseases to minimize unnecessary negative effects on nations, economies and people. A word is small, but it’s also powerful. #2019ncov #coronavirus #viruschinois #virusnomenclature #mediaresponsibility #jenesuispasunvirus #tinyeyescomics https://www.instagram.com/p/B7_GAyRiS8y/?igshid=1sposyaq9d88i
