MOSCOW URBAN FORUM — is the largest international congress on the development challenges of global megacities. The Forum has been held annually since 2011.
There is a hypothesis that viruses have existed on the planet for more than four billion years, and life appeared on Earth because of them. However, scientists discovered viruses only 130 years ago, and this area of science is still largely unexplored. The founders of the Global Virome project claim that more than half a million zoonotic viruses have not yet been investigated.
The SARS-Cov-2 virus has become the scientific mystery of the year by forcing countries to close borders, introduce internal lockdowns and fully concentrate on vaccine development. Virologists believe that the spread of new epidemics is inextricably linked with human intervention in natural processes. All infectious diseases of our time, like the Zika virus, Ebola virus disease, and COVID-19, have been transmitted to humans from animals. There is no doubt that without viruses, civilization will disappear. Megacities have yet to find ways to get along with future viruses.
Is there a pattern in how epidemics spread across the world?
Has the COVID-19 pandemic really changed the ecological situation in megacities for the better? How does the microclimate of a city affect the epidemiological situation?
What tools do bioinformaticians use to prevent the spread of new viruses?