News and Events

Feverish Activity at BSP Conference

More than 500 delegates, students and speakers from over 30 countries attended the British Society for Parasitology (BSP) joint Spring/Malaria meeting, which was held in the Binks Building.

The Malaria Meeting has always been the BSPs most successful, where young investigators give their first papers and important overall issues are discussed. This year, the meeting had an outstanding line-up, including Rick Steketee (Head of Malaria at CDC, Atlanta), Michael Good, Ian Clark and Kiaran Kirk (all from Australia) and Nadira Karunaweera from Sri Lanka. Important progress in the development of new drugs, which was described by Henri Vial, Iain Wilson and Peter Winstanley; attracted the attention of some of the journalists who covered the meeting and it was reported in the Times Higher.

Brian Greenwood, FRS (director of the Gates Malaria Partnership at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) and Franco Pagnoni (TDR, WHO) described some of the new interventions against malaria - intermittent preventive drug treatment in infants and home management, to be used in the field.

The highlights of the Spring Meeting included the two plenary presentations by Alan Sher (Chief of Parasitology at NIH), talking about host defence against toxoplasmosis, and Aaron Maule on neurobiology. Macro-parasitology was not forgotten with presentations by demonstrating the growing importance of parasites on human and animal health.

Organisers commented on the ‘cheerful and competent staff’ who helped to ensure that delegates were well catered for. They also enjoyed a march along the old city walls under the command of a Roman centurion, who answered questions about Chester’s rich history on the way!