The Dean of the College of Marine Sciences, Assistant Professor Dr. Osama Qasim Khalifa, participated in the scientific symposium organized by the Deanship of the College of Veterinary Medicine - University of Basra, in cooperation with the Continuing Education Unit, the Veterinary Syndicate and the Veterinary Hospital in Basra. The title of the symposium was "Foot-and-Mouth Disease between Reality and Media Hype", where various aspects of this animal disease and methods of prevention and treatment were discussed, in addition to the influence of the media in directing public opinion on the subject.