Welcome to the Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases
The Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases (DVTD) has excelled in many fields since its inception in 1993 and it is crucial to sustain the activities of the Department at its current high level and to improve its performance, particularly in research. The DVTD is one of the few establishments on the continent of Africa that has a comprehensive offering of postgraduate training programme, modules and courses for Continuing Professional Development (CPD). The Department subscribes to the mission of the University if Pretoria, which emphasizes educational innovation in its teaching and research programmes, and has therefore developed a primarily web-based modular MSc (Veterinary Tropical Diseases) programme. Most of the modules in this course can also be taken for CPD purposes.
The DVTD is well positioned to play a leading role, especially in research and the training of postgraduate students of the region and further afield, in the domain of Tropical Animal Health. The goal is to develop the Department as a regional postgraduate centre. To achieve this aim it has established, or is in the process of establishing, links and agreements with several national and international training and research institutions to complement its resources. These alliances allow entry into international networks from which funding and expertise are derived without which the Department would have difficulties in meeting its vision.
The Faculty of Veterinary Science and the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute (OVI) are situated in close proximity to each other. This affords unique opportunities for co-operation, in terms of facilities and expertise, that are unequalled in Africa, and indeed, in most parts of the world, to study tropical and subtropical infectious and parasitic diseases.
Since May 2009 the World Animal Health Organisation (OIE) has recognised the Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases (DVTD) and its consortium partners as a Collaborating Centre for Training in Integrated Livestock and Wildlife Health and Management.
Last edited by: Chris Van Blerk