Ministry releases number of measles cases recorded in Oman

Muscat: Oman's Ministry of Health is gearing up for the second phase of a national immunisation campaign to tackle measles, and has released numbers of cases of the disease recorded in the country.

"114 measles cases were registered in the Sultanate in 2016 and 89 cases so far in 2017, "the Ministry of Health said.

The ministry held a meeting to discuss preparations for the second phase of National Measles Immunization Campaign (NMIC).

Following phase one’s successful run in Dhofar and Al Wusta governorates in 2017, the second phase of vaccination against measles, which will be on 10-16 Sept, will include the rest of the governorates of the Sultanate.

Most of the infected cases discovered in the Sultanate are related to travel. Oman had effectively wiped out the virus but the Minister of Health said, “The increase in cases of measles in the Sultanate is attributed to the increase in the number of people arriving from neighbouring countries."

"Also, there is an increase in people travelling through the country from countries which are experiencing outbreaks of several diseases," he added.

An analysis carried out by the ministry indicated that the age group 20-35 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", the Ministry of Health has announced.

The jab is free for all citizens and residents and will be available in government health centres and vaccination centres.