In a position paper published online on Friday, the group proposed abandoning the existing names for monkeypox virus clades — West Africa and Congo Basin — and replacing them with numbers, saying the current names are discriminatory.

“In the context of the current global outbreak, continued reference to, and nomenclature of this virus being African is not only inaccurate but is also discriminatory and stigmatizing,” the more than two dozen scientists wrote.

An official of the World Health Organization, which would be involved in any recasting of clade names, indicated Saturday that the agency is amenable of the idea.

“There is broad support for this,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, who heads the emerging diseases and zoonoses unit in the WHO’s Health Emergencies Program.