Salah T. Al Awaidy

The Role of Governance in Vector Control for Dengue Fever: A Narrative Review

Socio-Demographic Characteristics and Patterns of Substance Use Disorder in Oman: A retrospective study of the National Registry Surveillance Programme between 2004 and 2018

Objectives: Substance use disorder is a global challenge. Therefore, this study aimed to provide an updated view of socio-demographic characteristics and patterns of substance use in Oman. Methods: This retrospective descriptive study was conducted between 2004 and 2018. Data were retrieved from Oman’s National Drug Ad …

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

Monkeypox (mpox) Outbreak: More queries posed as cases soar globally

Mitigating the Burden of Seasonal Influenza on Cardiovascular Diseases in GCC Countries

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death and one of the top contributors to disability worldwide. Rapid urbanization, lifestyle changes, and an aging population have significantly contributed to the rise of CVDs worldwide, including in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Although influenz …

Assessing Healthcare Providers’ Preparedness for Managing COVID-19 Patients: A Mixed-methods Study

Objectives: Globally, the preparedness of frontline healthcare providers (HCPs) to deliver timely and appropriate medical care has emerged as a significant concern. The training of HCPs in containment measures is considered pivotal in elevating the quality of care for COVID-19 patients while simultaneously mitigating t …

How Concerned Should We Be About the Recent Avian Influenza Outbreaks?

Influenza is mainly caused by influenza A and B viruses, which are responsible for annual outbreaks. The 1918 Spanish flu pandemic that killed nearly 50 million people was caused by influenza A/H1N1 virus. In recent years, there has been a risk of influenza A virus causing another pandemic, thanks to the large pool of …

The Progress Towards National Malaria Elimination: The Experience of Oman

Objectives: Despite a significant reduction in the global case incidence and mortality of malaria in the past 20 years, malaria continues to wreak havoc on people’s health across the globe. Oman is a malaria-free country, meeting the World Health Organization’s (WHO) criteria, having no indigenous malaria case document …

Seasonal Influenza Vaccination among Patients with Comorbidities in the Countries of the GCC: A Responsibility or an Option?

Annually, influenza causes 650 000 fatalities, 3 to 5 million severe cases, and affects over 1 billion people worldwide, making it one of the world’s top causes of morbidity and mortality. The influenza pandemic is considered one of the 10 main threats facing global public health. In addition, influenza affects 5–10% o …

Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics of Patients with Dengue Fever in a Recent Outbreak in Oman: A Single Center Retrospective-cohort Study

Objectives: Dengue fever (DF) is the most common arthropod-borne viral illness with significant public health implications that can cause severe clinical symptoms and possibly death. We sought to determine the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients presented with DF to the Royal Hospital in a recent o …

Knowledge, Attitude, and Acceptability of COVID-19 Vaccine in Oman: A Cross-sectional Study

Objectives: To evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine among the general population of Oman, on the eve of the rollout of vaccination program in the country. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a structured and validated online questionnaire. Adults residing in Oman were in …

Vaccinating our Children and Adolescents Against COVID-19

As we write this Editorial, the COVID-19 pandemic’s two-year run has cumulatively infected more than 430 million people worldwide, of whom 5.9 million died. One relief was the low infectivity rates among children and adolescents. The World Health Organization (WHO) figures indicate that between December 13, 2019 and Oc …

Agile Teams and Lean Methods in a Tertiary Care Hospital During COVID-19 Pandemic

Objectives: To share the experience of Agile Teams using Lean Method to facilitate improvement projects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A tertiary hospital in Oman mobilized agile teams using lean methods to streamline the workflow during the early stages of COVID-19 pandemic in year 2020. Results: The collabora …

A Case for Enhancing Coverage of Influenza Vaccination in Gulf Cooperation Council Countries in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus during COVID-19

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared that diabetes mellitus (DM) is the third-highest cause of premature mortality, and about 5 million deaths were attributed to DM among those aged 20–99 years old in 2017 worldwide. The burden of DM both in terms of morbidity and mortality is projected to increase globally. Th …

Epidemiological Risk Factors for Acquiring Severe COVID-19: Prospective Cohort Study

Objectives: We aimed to determine epidemiological risk factors associated with acquiring severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients requiring hospitalization. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted using a questionnaire comprised of six closed-ended questions to identify potential risk factors fo …

COVID-19 in the Gulf Cooperation Council Member States: An Evidence of Effective Response

Objectives: The World Health Organization (WHO) published a global strategic response plan in February 2020 aiming to mitigate the impact of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. It identified immediate activities required for global preparedness and response to the outbreak and set eight priority are …

Public Health Messages for Social Behavior Change in the Wake of COVID-19: A Qualitative Study

Objectives: We sought to study the impact of public health messages on social and behavioral change among recovered patients and the general population in response to coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) in Oman. Methods: Four focus group discussions among recovered COVID-19 patients were organized and conducted via video confe …

Implications of the Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variant: Caution is the Key

Viruses undergo continuous evolution due to natural selection. Specifically, RNA viruses mutate at exponentially high levels when compared to DNA viruses. The more opportunities a virus is offered to spread, the more likely we will see new mutations. While most mutations are either deleterious or neutral, some might re …

Letter in Reply: Epidemiology of COVID-19 Infection in Oman

In our study, we described the epidemiological aspects of the first 1304 laboratory-confirmed cases (incidence) in Oman. Oman has a strong communicable disease surveillance system across all governorates and regions within the country. It is unlikely we have missed some cases, particularly in the pediatric age group, a …

Addressing Influenza Vaccination in MENA Region during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Decreasing the Effects of the Collision

The Northern Hemisphere, including the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, is anxiously waiting for the influenza season as it is expected to coincide with the second peak or wave of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic causing fear of a ‘twindemic’, where two epidemics happen at the same time …