World Society for Virology first international conference: Tackling global virus epidemics

This communication summarizes the presentations given at the 1st international conference of the World Society for Virology (WSV) held virtually during 16–18 June 2021, under the theme of tackling global viral epidemics. The purpose of this biennial meeting is to foster international collaborations and address important viral epidemics in different hosts. The first day included two sessions exclusively on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19. The other two days included one plenary and three parallel sessions each. Last not least, 16 sessions covered 140 on-demand submitted talks. In total, 270 scientists from 49 countries attended the meeting, including 40 invited keynote speakers. •The World Society for Virology is a non-profit organization established in 2017.•WSV had its 1st public conference in June 16–18, 2021, which was held virtually.•It covered developments in a large variety of areas in virology.•It had 270 participants from 49 countries.•It included 40 invited keynote speakers and 140 additional presenters.