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H1N1 transmission passes peak in Oman

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  • H1N1 transmission passes peak in Oman

    H1N1 transmission passes peak in Oman

    10 January 2010

    Vaccination best safeguard against pandemic


    MUSCAT -- Pandemic H1N1 influenza activity in the Sultanate has crossed its "peak", with transmission levels currently on a downward trend, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The appraisal comes in the world body's latest update on pandemic influenza transmission trends around the globe. It lists Oman among only a handful of countries in the West Asian region, alongside Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, which appear to have "passed the peak period of transmission" during the December period.

    It warns however that "some active transmission" has been noted in West Asia, with levels of respiratory disease activity yet to return to baseline levels in the region. Health authorities in the Sultanate, while welcoming the WHO's assessment as heartening, say they will press on nevertheless with their ongoing surveillance and vaccination campaign against the pandemic. "Transmission levels are indeed falling, but we will not be lowering our guard anytime soon," an official said.

    "With much of the globe still in the midst of winter, and given the cold weather conditions gripping large areas of North America, Europe and Asia, a new upsurge cannot be entirely ruled out. Furthermore, we would not want to take chances with a pandemic that has already claimed the lives of an unusually large number of young and healthy individuals around the world." Getting a vaccine shot, according to the official, is the best safeguard against the virus. The single-dose vaccine is now available to anyone -- Omani and expatriate under revised guidelines unveiled by the Health Ministry at the start of this year.

    <SCRIPT> try{document.write(zawya_banner_zone('zone9337')); }catch(e){} </SCRIPT>Expatriates and private individuals can receive their H1N1 jab at any of a dozen private healthcare institutions designated by the Ministry to provide pandemic vaccines to the public. Citizens and expatriate government employees can report to the nearest health centre for their vaccine shot. In the Sultanate, the pandemic has so far claimed 31 lives, including a disproportionately high number of young adults. Thirteen of the fatalities, representing 42 per cent of the total, involved young individuals in the 26-40-years age group. This contrasts with seasonal influenza, whose victims mainly involve young infants or the elderly with underlying health problems.

    Besides killing two children (below six years), the H1N1 pandemic also contributed to the deaths of six youngsters in the 12-25-years age group (representing 20 per cent of the total). A further six people (19 per cent) falling in the 41-59-years segment succumbed to the virus, as did four others (13 per cent) in the 60-plus years category. The tally of fatalities corresponds broadly with demographic trends, say officials, with Omanis accounting for 87 per cent of the total and expatriate Indians making up the balance. Moreover, males and females account for a roughly 50-50 share of the total.

    Significantly, a third of the victims (29 per cent) were generally healthy individuals with no underlying medical problems, officials point out. Taken together with the deaths involving pregnant women (10 per cent), tobacco use (10 per cent) and obesity (6 per cent), the statistics reveal that an alarming 55 per cent of the fatalities had no inherently serious medical conditions before they were infected by the H1N1 virus.

    Diabetes and other immuno-compromised ailments were associated with the remainder 45 per cent of the deaths. "This peculiarity of the pandemic H1N1 influenza to cause death even among young adults and healthy individuals is a cause for concern that can only be addressed through vaccination. We are therefore urging everyone to get a shot at the earliest," the official added.


    By Conrad Prabhu ? Oman Daily Observer 2010

    "Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."
    -Nelson Mandela
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