Wild Poliovirus Type 1 in Oman: A re-emerging threat that requires urgent, targeted and strategic preparedness

n/

Support for Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccines for 5- to 11-Year-Old Children: Cross-sectional study of Omani mothers

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the variables that influenced a sample of Omani mothers’ support for mandatory COVID-19 vaccines for children. The vaccination against COVID-19 averted millions of fatalities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, a considerable number of parents and caregivers opposed mandating COVID-19 vaccines for children. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at several healthcare facilities in Oman using a structured questionnaire between February and March 2022. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were used to analyse the data. Results: A total of 700 Omani mothers (response rate = 73.4%) who had children aged 5–11 years old were included. The median age of the mothers was 38 ± 5.19 years. The results of multivariable logistic regression were generally consistent with those of the univariable analysis except for age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.06, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.58–1.93; P = 0.86) and income (OR = 1.09, 95% CI: 0.58–2.03; P = 0.79). Mothers who were vaccine hesitant (OR = 9.82, 95% CI: 5.27–18.28; P <0.001), tested positive for COVID-19 (OR = 3.25, 95% CI: 1.80–5.86; P <0.001) and had one or two doses of COVID-19 vaccines (OR = 5.41, 95% CI: 2.92–10.03; P <0.001) were more likely to refuse mandating COVID-19 vaccines for children 5–11 years old. Conclusion: Mothers who were vaccine hesitant, tested positive for COVID-19 and had one or two doses of COVID-19 vaccines were more likely to oppose mandatory COVID-19 vaccines for young children. The findings should aid public health authorities in designing future childhood vaccine literacy programmes with specific attention to some subgroups in Oman to help reduce opposition to vaccines in future pandemics among mothers. Keywords: COVID-19; Mandatory Vaccine; Vaccine Hesitancy; Children; Oman

Successes and Challenges of HIV/AIDS Program in Oman: 1984–2015

We sought to provide an epidemiological situation of HIV in Oman and assess the ongoing impact of the program established in 1987 using data collected from national health reports between 1984 and 2015. Since the report of the first AIDS case in Oman in 1984, the numbers have steadily increased. Eighty percent of the cases were reported between 1996 and 2015. By the end of 2015, there were 2879 people known to be living with HIV (PLHIV) giving a prevalence of < 1%. More males were affected than females (p < 0.001); 69.7% of affected males and 73.1% of females were aged 20–49 years. The highest HIV rate was in the Musandam governorate. Most (66.8%) new HIV infections were caused via unprotected sex, 8.3% from mother-to-child, 4.3% by intravenous drug abuse, 3.2% via blood transfusion, and 17.4% by unknown causes. PLHIV on antiretroviral drug therapy (ART) increased 57.0% by the end of 2015 (p < 0.0001). A 23.0% reduction in mortality due to HIV was noted (p < 0.0001). Maternal-to-child transmission per 100000 live births were 11, 9, 17, 10, 6, and 4 from 2009 to 2014, respectively. In 2015, 67.6% of PLHIV knew their HIV status, 65.0% were on ART, and 48.0% achieved virological suppression. There is an urgent need to focus on the quality and coverage of treatment, as well as care and support to HIV patients with special attention to high-risk groups

Dengue Fever: An Emerging Disease in Oman Requiring Urgent Public Health Interventions

Dengue, the most widespread mosquito-borne viral infection in humans, is an emerging public health problem in countries of the Eastern Mediterranean region threatening national, regional, and global health security. The disease is endemic in more than 128 countries in the African, Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asian, and the Western Pacific regions with estimates of 390 million cases representing 17% of the global burden of infectious diseases in 2013

Monkeypox Outbreak: More queries posed as cases globally soar

NON

A Systematic Review of Influenza Epidemiology and Surveillance in the Eastern Mediterranean and North African Region

Seasonal influenza represents a huge health burden, resulting in significant mortality and morbidity. Following the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, focus has been directed on the burden of influenza globally. Country and regional disease burden estimates play important roles in helping inform decisions on national influenza intervention programmes. Despite improvements in influenza surveillance following the 2009 pandemic, many opportunities remain unexplored in the Eastern Mediterranean and North African (EMNA) region, which has a high prevalence of patients with chronic disease and thus a population at high risk of influenza complications. We conducted a systematic literature review of Embase, Medline, Scopus and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from 1 January 1998 to 31 January 2020 covering the EMNA region with the aim to describe the epidemiology of influenza in the region and assess the influenza epidemiological surveillance research landscape. Relevant data on study characteristics, population, clinical/virology characteristics and epidemiology were extracted and summarised descriptively. Of the 112 studies identified for inclusion, 90 were conducted in the Eastern Mediterranean region, 19 in North Africa and three across the EMNA region. Data were reported on 314,058 laboratory-confirmed influenza cases, 96 of which were derived from surveillance systems. Amongst the surveillance studies, the percentage of positive cases reported ranged from 1% to 100%. The predominantly identified influenza strain was strain A; H1N1 was the most prominent circulating subtype. Typing was performed in approximately 75% and subtyping in 50% of studies, respectively. Data on those considered most at risk for influenza complications were collected in 21% of studies, highlighting a regional gap for these data. Our review reveals existing gaps in regional estimates of influenza health and economic burden, hospitalisation rates and duration, and highlights the need for robust and high-quality epidemiology data to help inform public health interventions. © 2022, The Author(s)