Korean Society for Parasitology and Tropical Medicine (KSPTM)

The Korean Society for Parasitology and Tropical Medicine was founded in 1959 with the goals of 1) researching and enhancing knowledge of parasites and parasitology, 2) facilitating academic exchanges with foreign societies, 3) educating the public on parasitology and 4) facilitating exchanges between the society members. When first founded, the society was named “The Korean Society for Parasitology”, but as the globalization of infectious diseases and inflow of foreign tropical diseases into Korea happenedoccurred, the society changed its name to the current one in 2012 and has since been working to broaden its areas of research. The Korean Society for Parasitology and Tropical Medicine has played a significant role in the fight against parasitic diseases in Korea through the hard work of the past chairmen, executives and members. From 1995, the society has been striving to solve the parasitic and tropical disease issuess of developing countries, including China, Laos, Cambodia, Tanzania and Sudan.

Most of the WHO-designated NTDs (Neglected Tropical Diseases), such as Malaria, Schistosomiasis, Trypanosoma cruzi, Leishmania spp., and Filariasis are diseases of parasitesparasitic infection. The increasing occurrence of foreign infections and new diseases infected through arthropods due to climate change stimulates many new problems that cannot be dealt with through the original solutions to local parasitic diseases and infections. In addition, many newly appearing diseases and zoonoses are parasitesparasitic infections. To cope with this changing situation and satisfy the medical need, The Korean Society for Parasitology and Tropical Medicine will continue to work hard to progress the education, diagnosis, research and development against local diseases and the inflow of foreign diseases.