The Ministry of Health added the vaccine for rotavirus, which leads to 60,000 diarrhoea cases among children and results in 6,000 hospitalisations in Oman, in the National Immunisation Programme.
Infants born from November onwards will be given two doses in the second and fourth months. The vaccination is expected to cover 90,000 kids, which will reduce the hospitalisation rate by 90 per cent. This will also save a significant chunk of money as the government is spending RO 1 million for those hospitalised for diarrhoea due to rotavirus.
Rotaviruses are the most common cause of diarrhoeal disease among infants and young children. Nearly every child in the world is infected with a rotavirus at least once by the age of five.
The announcement to add the vaccine was held at an event organised by the Ministry of Health under the auspices of Dr Hilal bin Ali al Sabti, Minister of Health, and other officials in Muscat on Monday. He also unveiled the fourth edition of the National Immunisation Programme.
The update of the National Action Strategy for Vaccines is the practical map that defines the vision for immunisations in the Sultanate of Oman during the coming years till 2030, which includes a package of goals and activities that the Sultanate of Oman will implement in this field. Oman has made great strides in raising vaccination coverage rates for all target groups to get rid of infectious diseases." There are about 111 million cases of diarrhoea due to rotavirus annually, including more than two million hospitalisations and more than 600,000 deaths.
In Oman, the rotavirus accounts for 36 per cent of hospitalised children.
The minister pointed out that the National Immunisation Programme has made giant strides in eliminating infectious diseases by vaccination, the most important of which is a certificate from the World Health Organization declaring the country free of measles and rubella.
The National Child Immunisations Programme includes 14 approved types of vaccines, which led to a significant reduction in morbidity and mortality rates of children under five years of age.
Rotavirus vaccine will be administered to newborns from November 2023 onwards, who will be given two doses: the first at two months from birth and the second at the age of four months.
Dr Said bin Harib al Lamki, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Health for Health Affairs, said that the launch of the rotavirus vaccine and the fourth edition of the National Immunisation Programme reflect the Ministry of Health’s keenness to eradicate infectious diseases and maintain the stability of public health.
Bader bin Saif al Rawahi, Director of the Department of Infectious Disease Control at the MoH, gave a lecture on immunisation, in which he reviewed the history of vaccines in countries of the world and in the Sultanate of Oman, the extent of their importance in preventing infectious diseases, and the most prominent achievements and innovations in the field of vaccines.
Rotavirus is known as one of the highly contagious viruses that causes severe diarrhoea among infants and young children.
The symptoms that accompany it are fever, watery diarrhoea, continuous vomiting, stool accompanied by blood or mucous membranes, fatigue, pain, and dehydration. The group most at risk of infection is infants, young children, relatives, and close contacts.
The virus is transmitted through unwashed hands, contaminated surfaces and contaminated food.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
