LAHORE: University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences (UVAS) in collaboration with the Pakistan Society of Parasitology and the Higher Education Commission on Wednesday organised a two-day international parasitology conference (PARACON-24) at the city campus.

The conference was being organised under the theme of ‘Tackling Food Security Challenges’ related to parasitic diseases of veterinary and public health importance, host-parasite interaction, diagnostic methods and tools, chemical treatments and prevention strategies.

It further include one health approaches, effects of environment and climate change, food security challenges, diagnostic chemoprophylaxis, anti-parasitic and vaccines of parasites, zoonotic parasitic diseases and vector-borne diseases and role of veterinarians under one-health concept epidemiology etc.

UVAS Vice Chancellor Meritorious Prof Dr Muhammad Younus presided over the inaugural session of the conference while Prof Dr Neil Sargison from UK was the guest of honour.

Faculty of Veterinary Science Dean Prof Dr Aneela Zameer Durrani, Department of Parasitology Chairman Prof Dr Kamran Ashraf, Prof Dr Imran Rashid and others attended the conference.

Mr Younus called national and foreign experts to suggest recommendations for eradicating parasites in animals to reduce mortality ratio and improving health and production of animals.

He said that experts were sharing their knowledge, skills and experience with each-others to curb parasitic diseases and they suggest how to control it especially for the development of the livestock sector and boost the national economy of the country as well.

Ms Durrani said that food security was a serious issue in Pakistan and the conference would address food security issues.

She said the livestock sector is facing many challenges like climate change, one health, zoonotic and parasitic diseases which cause reduced livestock production in Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2024