Following seven consecutive successful years, the eight edition of the Parasitology Summer Course (VIII ParSCo) has been organized by the Parasitology Unit of the Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari (Italy) and School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Science (TUMS), the WHO and the Iranian Society of Parasitology (ISP) with the support of the European Veterinary Parasitology College (EVPC, please find the advertisement at http://www.eurovetpar.org/parsco-viii/ ), Italian Society of Parasitology (SOIPA) and of Parasites & Vectors.

The Eastern Mediterranean Region ParSCo (EMRO VIII ParSCo) – will be an intense, ten days long course (from 5th-14th June 2020) for young parasitologists and post-graduate students working in the field of humans and veterinary parasitology. This course will be mostly focused on practical activities in the field and laboratory, with theoretical lectures making up less than 40% of the whole program. The course will take place in Esfahan, the third most populous city of Iran located in the center of the country and which hosts several UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

WHY ORGANIZING ParSCo IN IRAN?
In 2020 ParSCo will be held in Iran, a wonderful country in the Middle East, (EMRO VIII ParSCo – http://en.tums.ac.ir/en/content/167/parsco ). Over the past seven years, more than 95 attendees from all continents have attended ParSCo, which was traditionally held in Southern Italy. The reason why ParSCo is moving to Iran is to increase transboundary collaboration within Middle East countries and with young parasitologists from anywhere with the specific aim to promote the concept of One Health. EMRO ParSCo will be focused on vector-borne diseases (VDSs) of zoonotic importance for the region. Iran is a known endemic area for some vector-borne parasitic infections such as leishmaniasis, as well as hydatidosis, fascioliasis and recently eliminated urinary schistosomiasis.

We would love to have you attending our course for a successful EMRO VIII ParSCo meeting!
For any questions and doubts, please contact Dr Jairo Mendoza Roldan <moc.liamgobfsctd@nadlorazodnem.aj>