The Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases (DVTD) of the Faculty of Veterinary Science (FVS), University of Pretoria, was well represented at the 27th Conference of the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (WAAVP), in Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.A. Four members of staff, Prof Tshepo Matjila, Dr Kgomotso Sibeko-Matjila, Prof Frans Jongejan, Dr Maxime Madder, and three postgraduate students, Dr Donald Mukolwe, Ms Rebecca Ackermann, Dr Whatmore Tagwireyi, gave oral and poster presentations. The conference, which started off on Sunday the 7th and ended on the 11th July 2019, was attended by over 1200 delegates from all over the world. The theme of the conference was ‘Sifting and Winnowing the Evidence in Veterinary Parasitology’.

The highlights of the conference included plenary lectures on One Health, which emphasized the interconnectedness of life and the ecosystem and its importance to the sustainable world. On the fun side, Dr Sibeko-Matjila, Dr Madder, Dr Mukolwe, Dr Whatmore Tagwireyi and Ms Rebecca Ackermann participated in the conference 5 Km fun run. The conference ended with a gala dinner, where delegates enjoyed fine cuisine and great live music. As the evening progressed and the music got louder the conference delegates, including the DVTD entourage displayed interesting dance moves on the dance floor.

Prof Matjila made sure to extend the invitation for the FVS centenary activities to all participants, so watch out OP, the international community will be landing on your premises in 2020.

The three students were partially supported by the WAAVP African Foundation, which covered their airfare. This was the first experience of this group of students in an international conference and we hope they will have many opportunities in the future.

The next WAAVP conference will be held in Dublin, Ireland, in 2021.

The group	Fun run
Dr Donald Mukolwe, Prof Tshepo Matjila and Dr Kgomotso Sibeko-Matjila	Dr Frans Jongejan