Dalhousie University researchers are launching an $850,000 project to increase regional and international health security by monitoring emerging pox viruses in Nova Scotia populations. 

In response to recent outbreaks of the MPOX virus (formerly known as monkeypox), the project will provide a comprehensive map of these viruses in central Africa and Nova Scotia. The information and data collected from these maps can better inform health officials with the goal of preventing further outbreaks.

David Kelvin, an infectious disease expert, has assembled an international team of scientists, wild-life experts, and government officials in Africa and Canada. 

“With the emergence of MPOX viral outbreaks and epidemics, it’s necessary for us to understand the sociological and scientific factors that play a role in the encroachment of human populations on wildlife,” he said in a statement. “This is leading to increased exposure and increased chances of infection which is why it’s important to better understand poxvirus ecology.”

Research Nova Scotia is contributing $250,000 in the project. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research will also provide $500,000 and the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences will provide $100,000.