Set for immunisation drive phase II
MUSCAT: Oman’s Ministry of Health (MoH) is gearing up for the second phase of a national immunisation campaign to tackle measles, and has released data on the instances of disease recorded in the country.
“One hundred and fourteen measles cases were registered in the Sultanate in 2016 and 89 cases so far in 2017,” the Ministry of Health said.
The ministry also held a meeting to discuss preparations for the second phase of National Measles Immunisation Campaign (NMIC).
Following phase one’s successful run in the Dhofar and Al Wusta governorates in 2017, the second phase of vaccination against measles, which will be from September 10 to 16, will include the rest of the governorates of the Sultanate.
Commenting on the ministry’s continuous efforts to combat mea- sles in Oman, Dr. Rohil Raghavan, medical director at Burjeel Hospital said: “I think the ministry has done a fantastic job because the moment the outbreak started, they did not wait until it spread, but decided to go ahead immediately.”
“The ministry has been very proactive, in including the private sector in its meetings, in fact hospitals are supposed to send reports if they have any cases of measles and if so, the ministry will arrive at the hospital immediately, to follow protocol,” Raghavan added.
Most of the infected cases discovered in the Sultanate are related to travel. Oman had effectively wiped out the virus, but MoH said, “The increase in cases of measles in the Sultanate is attributed to the increase in the number of people arriving from the neighbouring countries.”
One resident, who was infected with measles after returning from abroad, said: “Seeing as though I just had measles, I would say that the ministry’s actions are necessary, measles is very contagious and dangerous but can be easily prevented through vaccines, I had to be quarantined for three days.”
An analysis carried out by the ministry indicated that the age group 20 to 35 years is the most vulnerable to measles in Oman.
“Everyone in Oman between the ages of 20 and 35 must have a vaccination jab to stop a measles outbreak,” MoH has announced.
“As a father, I am always concerned about contagious diseases, so this campaign is very important to me,” said a concerned parent.
The jab is free for all citizens and residents and is available at government health centres and vaccination centres.