June 19, 2018
IPVS Congress 2018 closes with success
The four-day 25th International Pig Veterinary Society (IPVS) Congress came to a successful end on June 14, 2018 in Yuelai international convention center of Chongqing, China.
It was the Congress' debut show in China in its 50 years of history. A celebration of its 50th anniversary was also held on June 13. "The 2018 Congress is an extremely important and memorable event in IPVS' history," said Dr. Francois van Niekerk, Secretary-General of the Society.
With the theme of 'Healthy Pig, Safe Pork', the 2018 Congress offered various latest research results on swine health, via invited keynote lectures, oral presentations, satellite symposiums, and posters. Covering the eight topics of Virology & Viral Diseases, Bacteriology & Bacterial Diseases, Emerging and Re-emerging Swine Diseases, Swine Production & Welfare, Veterinary Public Health & Food Safety, Nutrition & Herds Health Management, Swine Farm Management & Environmental Control, Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome, as well as the China Pig Disease Control Practice Symposium and the Pig Veterinary Salon, there were a total of 211 presentations. Among them, the 37 keynote speakers are the authoritative figures in the swine veterinary field worldwide. The event also offered many opportunities for young veterinarians around the world to demonstrate themselves, by presenting oral reports and wall presentations.
Besides the academic discussions, the four satellite symposiums organised by leading global animal health companies also brought exciting presentations to the participants. With the development of the industry, there are a variety of methods for animal health companies to serve swine farms and the industry-at-large. Based on deep understanding of customer needs, these companies were able to combine their unique strengths and characteristics with solutions, with the satellite symposiums being some examples. According to one of the presentations, the latest artificial intelligence tools have been applied in some swine farms in China, helping to monitor and diagnose swine health, and track the safety of animal food.
A parallel event with the Congress was the International Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Symposium (IPRRS 2018), which offered a total 21 presentations on the topics of Genetic Diversity and Evolution, Epidemiology and Clinical Diseases, and Virus-host Interaction and Pathogenesis.
According to Prof. Hanchun Yang, President of IPVS 2018, the Congress attracted a total of 5,599 registered delegates from 42 countries, including 1,479 delegates from overseas, with the top five countries being Thailand, South Korea, the United States, the Philippines and Spain.
Awards were also presented at the closing ceremony of the Congress. There were three scientists who received the 2018 Boehringer Ingelheim PRRS Research Award, and another three scientists who received the PEDC Research Award, as well as five scientists from different countries who received the Youth Veterinarian Award.
The 25th IPVS Congress formally closed as Prof. Hanchun Yang handed the President's badge to Prof. Fernanda Almeida, President-elect of IPVS 2020 in Brazil.
