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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Epidemiology of bluetongue and related orbiviruses in the Sultanate of Oman.

Sentinel herds at 34 farms were used to study the epidemiology of bluetongue and related orbiviruses in Oman. The results indicate that bluetongue virus (BTV) is widespread and is enzootic in Northern Oman. At least three BTV serotypes (3, 4 and 22) were present at the time of the study. Antibodies to epizootic haemorrhagic disease of deer virus (EHDV) type 2 and EHDV-318 were also detected but were less prevalent. Entomological investigations identified the presence of 16 species of Culicoides. The peak seasonal incidence of the BTV vector C. imicola and the EHDV vectors C. schultzei (group) midges at Rumais in Northern Oman correlated closely with the spring rains in that area. However, both species of midge were also present in lower numbers throughout the year. four species of Oman midge, C. arabiensis, C. ibriensis, C. neoschultzei and C. buettikeri are new to science.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Copper deficiency and posterior paralysis (Shalal) in small ruminants in the Sultanate of Oman.

A posterior ataxia or paralysis in goats and sheep is a syndrome known as Shalal within the Sultanate of Oman. An investigation was carried out into the etiology of the syndrome. Samples of blood and tissues were obtained from normal and Shalal-affected goats and sheep. Samples of feed were collected from the affected areas of the Sultanate. Chemical analyses of samples showed that affected animals suffered from severe copper deficiency in spite of sufficient copper contents in feed. However, concentrations of sulphur and iron in the feed were high. It was concluded that the Shalal syndrome in Oman is the condition generally known as swayback or enzootic ataxia caused by conditioned copper deficiency. The deficiency is probably due to copper-sulphur and copper-iron interactions in the rumen, enhanced by feeding of fresh roughage containing rumen degradable proteins.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed1991

Isolation and identification of arboviruses from the Sultanate of Oman.

Sentinel herds and a vector surveillance system were used to identify the presence of arboviruses in Oman. Two strains of bluetongue virus (BTV) serotype 4 and two strains of Akabane virus, were isolated and identified. Both BTV isolates and one Akabane virus isolate came from goats while the second Akabane isolate came from Culicoides imicola. This is the first isolation of an Akabane virus from Culicoides in Arabia. Vector competence studies with the Oman viruses in laboratory reared C. variipennis showed that after oral infection both viruses replicated in Culicoides and were maintained at high titre for at least 10 days post infection.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Bluetongue in the Sultanate of Oman, a preliminary epidemiological study.

A group specific agar-gel immunodiffusion test was used to demonstrate that there is a frequent and widespread distribution of bluetongue virus throughout the Sultanate of Oman. The Culicoides midges C. imicola and C. schultzei, both capable of transmitting bluetongue group viruses, were recorded throughout the year. Although these studies did not establish that bluetongue is enzootic in Oman, type-specific neutralizing antibody results supported previous evidence for the existence of a Saudi Arabian bluetongue ecosystem. Variations in antibody evidence of virus activity within a restricted locality suggested a hot-spot theory concerning the perpetuation of the virus.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Diabetes mellitus in the sultanate of Oman.

In February 1990 a World Health Organization consultancy was undertaken to assess the current impact of diabetes mellitus in Oman. Routine national health statistics suggested that diabetes was the principal diagnosis in approximately 1% of all hospital discharges in 1988. The number of 'new cases' of diabetes treated at hospitals during the same year was 4.8 per 1000 Omani population, representing almost 6000 diabetic patients. In 1989, at the Royal Hospital, Muscat, diabetes was recorded as the principal diagnosis for 2.6% of all discharges, and 6% of those in subjects aged 45 years and over. It is known that the frequency of diabetes is generally underestimated by routine health statistics. Limited ad hoc investigation during the consultancy suggested that approximately 9% of all adult hospital admissions and 12% of adult hospital bed occupancy were associated with diabetes. Thus, diabetes should be considered a priority in a national health strategy for Oman. It is recommended that emphasis be placed upon epidemiological research, education, and the provision of appropriate technology.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1991

Outbreak of paralytic poliomyelitis in Oman: evidence for widespread transmission among fully vaccinated children.

From January, 1988, to March, 1989, a widespread outbreak (118 cases) of poliomyelitis type 1 occurred in Oman. Incidence of paralytic disease was highest in children younger than 2 years (87/100,000) despite an immunisation programme that recently had raised coverage with 3 doses of oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) among 12-month-old children from 67% to 87%. We did a case-control study (70 case-patients, 692 age-matched controls) to estimate the clinical efficacy of OPV, assessed the immunogenicity of OPV and extent of poliovirus spread by serology, retrospectively evaluated the cold chain and vaccine potency, and sought the origin of the outbreak strain by genomic sequencing. 3 doses of OPV reduced the risk of paralysis by 91%; vaccine failures could not be explained by failures in the cold chain nor on suboptimum vaccine potency. Cases and controls had virtually identical type 1 neutralising antibody profiles, suggesting that poliovirus type 1 circulation was widespread. Genomic sequencing indicated that the outbreak strain had been recently imported from South Asia and was distinguishable from isolates indigenous to the Middle East. Accumulation of enough children to sustain the outbreak seems to have been due to previous success of the immunisation programme in reducing spread of endemic strains, suboptimum efficacy of OPV, and delay in completing the primary immunisation series until 7 months of age. Additionally, the estimated attack rate of infection among children aged 9-23 months exceeded 25% in some regions, suggesting that a substantial proportion of fully vaccinated children had been involved in the chain of transmission.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed1990

Survey of infection in babies at the Khoula Hospital, Oman.

A 12-month prospective study of infection was carried out in the special care baby unit (SCBU), Khoula Hospital, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. During this period, 8720 babies were born in the hospital and 1265 were admitted to the SCBU. Altogether, 490 babies were of less than 36 weeks' gestation. A total of 190 babies (160 born in the hospital, 30 born before admission) satisfied the criteria for infection. The most common clinical presentation was pneumonia. There was one outbreak of iatrogenic infection. Infection was confirmed microbiologically in 76 of 190 symptomatic babies. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common pathogen and was isolated from 48 infected babies (25%). Beta-haemolytic streptococci were isolated from superficial sites only in eight babies. Klebsiella spp were the commonest enteric bacteria isolated, but they were rarely associated with infection. Of 46 babies who had bacteraemia, 9 also had meningitis. Nine of the 46 babies died, including 6 of the 9 who had meningitis. The mortality following Gram-negative infection was higher than that following Gram-positive infection. Fourteen per cent of infected babies born in hospital and 27% of those born before admission died. A high proportion of bacteria isolated were resistant to ampicillin and/or gentamicin. Results suggest that alternative antibiotics would be more appropriate for initial treatment. The study shows that in developing countries, unsophisticated research, using basic facilities, can be of value in identifying the problems of infection and in recognizing possible solutions to them.

Bacterial Infections↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Height, weight and menarcheal age of adolescent girls in Oman.

A cross-sectional survey was carried out on 683 school girls aged 11.5-18.5 years in Oman, in order to assess their physical growth. Height, weight and age at menarche were measured. Results showed that median height and weight of Omani girls fluctuates between 25th and 5th percentiles and 25th and 10th percentiles of the North American reference standard (NCHS), respectively. The mean age at menarche was 13.3 +/- 0.09 years. In general Omani girls are shorter and lighter than girls of similar age in other Arabian Gulf countries (Bahrain and Kuwait).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Attributable risk of DTP (diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and pertussis vaccine) injection in provoking paralytic poliomyelitis during a large outbreak in Oman.

Although injections administered during the incubation period of wild poliovirus infection have been associated with an increased risk of paralytic poliomyelitis, quantitative estimates of the risk have not been established. During a poliomyelitis outbreak investigation in Oman, vaccination records were reviewed for 70 children aged 5-24 months with poliomyelitis and from 692 matched control children. A significantly higher proportion of cases received a DTP (diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and pertussis vaccine) injection within 30 days before paralysis onset than did controls (42.9% vs. 28.3%; odds ratio, 2.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-4.2). The proportion of poliomyelitis cases that may have been provoked by DTP injections was 35% for children 5-11 months old. This study confirms that injections are an important cause of provocative poliomyelitis. Although the benefits of DTP vaccination should outweigh the risk of subsequent paralysis, these data stress the importance of avoiding unnecessary injections during outbreaks of wild poliovirus infection.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1991

The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in the Sultanate of Oman.

One thousand nine hundred and twenty-five Omani adults aged 16 and over were studied in a house-to-house survey in representative areas of Oman. Seven cases (five female) are described who satisfied the 1987 ARA criteria for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), indicating a prevalence of 3.6 per thousand adults. Adjusted for the population structure, the prevalence was 8.4 per thousand adults. Complementary data are also presented on cases of RA ascertained by special screening clinics in rural health centres and by hospital rheumatology clinics. In all parts of the study, cases of RA were less often seropositive than in European populations which may account for the lower prevalence of erosive disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

A community-based study of childhood handicap in Oman.

This paper reports the findings of a preliminary survey carried out in an Omani community to assess the prevalence of handicap amongst children, and its impact on the family. The sample comprised of 492 children less than 15 years of age. The disabilities identified related to chromosomal abnormality, genetic, perinatal, and infectious factors. The presence of mental retardation, with associated social taboos, confounds the problem in Oman. The study showed that, although some handicapped children may be accepted within the family, there was a sense of shame and rejection vis-à-vis the community. The prevalence of 2 per cent is only the tip of the iceberg. The study defines the sociocultural aspects of the Omani society which are conducive to the perpetuation of this important health and social problem.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Teaching clinical skills to new medical students: the Oman experience.

The College of Medicine at the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in Oman took up the challenge of moving away from a didactic emphasis in the teaching of family and community health by actively involving students in health care, requiring some clinical skills, as early as possible. This paper describes the experience of the Department of Family and Community Health at SQU of the feasibility of training first-year medical students in the measurement of blood pressure within a few days. Our experience showed that proper training before starting field-work can teach clinical skills to students who have had no prior exposure to medical subjects. There was a strong correlation between the measurements of blood pressure of 638 individuals by the students and the supervisors. This experience at SQU has encouraged us to implement the idea of family- and community-based clinical exposure for every class. Teaching of clinical skills is feasible in the field for new entrants, provided there is adequate orientation beforehand and skilled supervision of the students in small groups.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed1991

Food consumption patterns of mothers in Oman (a preliminary study).

Food intakes of 157 mothers from four geographical regions in Oman were studied. Rice and wheat breads were the main cereals consumed. Fish was daily consumed by 26% of mothers, whereas meat and chicken were consumed less often. Cow's milk was more frequently consumed than goat's milk. Of mothers, 63% drank carbonated beverages daily, while the traditional drink, laban (butter-milk) was drunk daily by 47% of mothers. Only 19.8% of mothers did not or rarely consumed animal fat. These results suggest that dietary habits of Omani mothers have changed and become more diversified when compared to diet consumed 20 years ago.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Chloramphenicol-resistant typhoid fever: an emerging problem in Oman.

Until recently multiply drug-resistant Salmonella typhi was uncommon in the Sultanate of Oman. In 1990 the first isolate of chloramphenicol-resistant S. typhi from an Indian expatriate was reported. In 1991, 58 cases of typhoid fever were diagnosed, of whom 19 (33%) were resistant to chloramphenicol. All patients with chloramphenicol-resistant S. typhi are either Indians or Omani with a history of recent travel to India. Chloramphenicol may not be the appropriate blind therapy for such patients. Ciprofloxacin may be the alternative.

Chloramphenicol Resistance↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Nurse education in the Sultanate of Oman.

The quality of health care in the Sultanate of Oman has improved considerably over the past 20 years. Nurse education has developed accordingly with input from British nurses, many of whom leave the United Kingdom to work there every year. The author describes how nurse education has developed in the Sultanate and how, in spite of the influence and values of Western countries, the importance of the indigenous culture is not ignored.

Curriculum↗