With all respect to the bard, there is power in a name — why else would Juliet consider changing hers? That’s why the WHO proposed new practices for naming a newly emerged disease. Diseases are often named after the place they were found, a significant animal vector, or some other notable feature connected to its discovery. Name choice can have negative consequences for the original owner of the name. The residents of Hendra, Queensland aren’t thrilled that their town has a namesake virus. The pigs couldn’t complain about swine flu, but the name impacted pork trade even though it was not a transmission route. The Sin Nombre (Spanish for “without name”) virus was so dubbed after multiple suggestions were rejected out of respect for the fact that no one wanted to be associated with it. [Read more…] about Science Corner: Where the Viruses Have No Name