Relevance of national, regional and global virome projects on pandemics prediction, prevention, and control: a social network analysis of GVP-citing articles.

Abstract

Background: The Global Virome Project (GVP) was proposed in 2018 as an evolution of the USAID PREDICT project and was presented as a "collaborative scientific initiative to discover zoonotic viral threats and stop future pandemics". The immediate response was mixed, with public health and scientific communities representatives showing skepticism, if not direct opposition.

Objectives: The economic, social, and health consequences of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic demonstrated how unprepared the world was in the face of new pandemics. This paper analyses the impact of the GVP on the scientific and public health communities.

Methods: Published scientific articles that cited the two 2018 seminal publications proposing the project were analysed using social network analysis methods.

Findings: Encompassing the periods before and after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the results indicate that (i) the concepts of the GVP have received more support than opposition in the scientific literature; (ii) its foundations should be updated to address the specific criticisms.

Main conclusions: Shifting focus to national virome projects can provide tangible, regional benefits that can positively contribute towards a consensus on achieving a high level of preparedness for the ever-present possibility of the following global viral pandemic.