Frequency of Asthma Exacerbations and Upper Respiratory Tract Infections Among Adult with Asthma According to Vaccination Status: Does the annual influenza vaccine have a protective effect? A retrospective cohort study

Objectives: Annual influenza vaccinations are recommended for patients with asthma to prevent against seasonal influenza and influenza-triggered asthma exacerbations. However, there is conflicting data as to the benefit of the influenza vaccine on the frequency of asthma exacerbations. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine in terms of reducing the frequency of asthma-related exacerbations and upper respiratory tract infections among adult patients with asthma. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was performed from January to December 2018 in Muscat Governorate, Oman. A total of 466 patients attending nine randomly selected primary health centres in Muscat Governorate were enrolled in the study and followed-up for one year post-vaccination. Results: Most patients were female (70.6%) and had moderate-persistent asthma (42.9%). Overall, there were 203 patients (43.6%) in the vaccinated group and 263 (56.4%) in the non-vaccinated group. A proportion of patients in each group had allergic rhinitis (28.6% and 25.5%, respectively). The frequency of upper respiratory tract infections over the one-year follow-up period was significant lower in the vaccinated group compared to the non-vaccinated group (37.9% versus 73%; relative risk [RR]: 2.299, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.834–2.882; P <0.001); however, there was no significant difference in terms of the frequency of asthma exacerbations (41.9% versus 45.2%; RR: 0.925, 95% CI: 0.750–1.141; P >0.050). Conclusion: The influenza vaccine significantly reduces the frequency of upper respiratory tract infections over the following year. However, it did not significantly reduce the frequency of asthma exacerbations among adult Omanis with asthma. Further studies are recommended to support the protective effect of the vaccine in this regard. Keywords: Influenza Vaccines; Immunization; Asthma; Upper Respiratory Tract Infections; Observational Study; Oman

Awareness and Attitude Towards the Premarital Screening Programme Among High School Students in Muscat, Oman

Objectives: This study aimed to explore high school students’ awareness and attitude towards premarital screening (PMS). Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 10 public high schools in Muscat, Oman from May to July 2016. A three-part self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from grade 12 students. The first part focused on respondents’ sociodemographic characteristics, while the second part dealt with awareness of the national PMS programme and the third part explored attitudes towards the national PMS programme. Results: A total of 1,541 participants (response rate: 91.1%) completed the questionnaire. Most participants (78.1%) were aware of the availability of the PMS programme and their main source of information was family and friends (34.3%). The majority of students (87.4%) believed that PMS is important and most students (87.2%) indicated that they would undergo PMS. Over half of the students (55.3%) agreed that PMS should be mandatory before marriage and approximately one-third (38.3%) were in favour of having laws and regulations to prevent consanguineous marriages. Females were significantly more in favour of making PMS mandatory (P = 0.002) and enforcing PMS laws (P = 0.010) compared to males. Conclusion: Most respondents had good levels of knowledge about the PMS programme and half thought it is important to be tested. However, some students were not in favour of PMS. Increasing awareness about Oman’s PMS programme is important and motivating students could contribute significantly to increasing the utilisation of the PMS programme and to limiting genetic blood disorders.Keywords: Awareness; Knowledge; Attitude; Secondary School; Students; Premarital Examinations; Genetic Carrier Screening; Oman