Veterinary Parasitology Status Quo and Where to Go

Veterinary Parasitology – status quo and where to go

Kurt Pfister, President EVPC

Veterinary Parasitology is - according to the constitution of the European Veterinary Parasitology College (EVPC) - a discipline-oriented specialisation which basically focuses on parasites and their effects on animal health (incl. all the characteristic subdisciplines) in order to control animal parasitic diseases. The study of Vet. Parasitology also includes the prevention of parasitic zoonoses which are important for human health.

Accordingly, the objectives of EVPC are manyfold, but the main includeamong others „to further the scientific progress in teaching and research in Veterinary Parasitology in Europe, to establish standards of training and experience for qualification as a European Specialist...., and to develop continuing education programmes in Vet. Parasitology in Europe“, etc.

Undoubtedly, some of these basic requests have been reached, but presently we are still quite far away from having arrived at the targeted goals, e. g.when looking at

-open positions of Chairs of Vet .Parasitology at several EU Universities

-the decreasing number of professorship at the Universities in parts of Europe in the recent past

-lack of Standard Residency Training Programmes for young Vet. Parasitologists

-insufficient numbers of examined Diplomates

-lack of continuing education programmes in Europe.

-ofteninsufficient clinical relationship of our work, etc. etc....

So what to do?

EVPC is an accredited member College of the European Board of Veterinary Specailisation (EBVS) and has – as such -to fulfill their requests. When looking at them, there is clearly a need for Vet Parasitology Depts/working units and thus consequently for EVPC Diplomates to become more active in motivating/recruiting young parasitologists for completing their education by preparing/establishing for them „Standard Residency Training Programmes„. Similarly, there is a great need to develop more intensively the clinical emphasis and a closer collaboration/relationsship with the clinical field,as this is one of the major argument for being a member College of EBVS. In addtion, there is a great need for establishingcontinuing education programmes for Diplomates in both, the clinical area as well as in the area of research.

An important issue for future directions about Veterinary Parasitology will be the outcome of a debate to be held with regard to both, the often lacking scientific staff and scarce financial ressources. Therefore, additional, more open strategies should will have to be envisaged for our discipline at the Veterinary Faculty levelsthroughout Europe.