# Conference Report: LPMHealthcare Emerging Viruses 2023 (EVOX23): Pandemics—Learning from the Past and Present to Prepare for the Future

## TL;DR

This conference report discusses lessons from past and current pandemics to better prepare for future viral threats.

## Contribution

The report emphasizes the need for vigilance, scientific innovation, and cross-sector collaboration in pandemic preparedness.

## Key findings

- The conference highlighted the importance of monitoring zoonotic virus reservoirs like bats due to climate change and habitat disruption.
- Long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2, such as long COVID, require continued scientific and societal attention.
- Effective pandemic response depends on environmental monitoring, communication, and public trust in science.

## Abstract

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 has meant that pandemic preparedness has become a major focus of the global scientific community. Gathered in the historic St Edmund Hall college in Oxford, the one-day LPMHealthcare conference on emerging viruses (6 September 2023) sought to review and learn from past pandemics—the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the Mpox outbreak—and then look towards potential future pandemics. This includes an emphasis on monitoring the “traditional” reservoirs of viruses with zoonotic potential, as well as possible new sources of spillover events, e.g., bats, which we are coming into closer contact with due to climate change and the impacts of human activities on habitats. Continued vigilance and investment into creative scientific solutions is required for issues including the long-term physical and psychological effects of COVID-19, i.e., long COVID. The evaluation of current systems, including environmental monitoring, communication (with the public, regulatory authorities, and governments), and training; assessment of the effectiveness of the technologies/assays we have in place currently; and lobbying of the government and the public to work with scientists are all required in order to build trust moving forward. Overall, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has shown how many sectors can work together to achieve a global impact in times of crisis.