Oman was last night making final preparations for the country’s first ever mass immunisation drive that aims at inoculating all healthy people , both nationals and expatriates, in phases against the swine flu from Sunday. The sultanate’s population is currently estimated at over three million.

Key Health Ministry and WHO officials, meanwhile, vouched for the safety of the vaccine, vigorously refuting widespread rumours of harmful side effects circulating in the country. They also said a 24-hour hotline had been set up to dispel misgivings and answer queries from the public about the vaccine. The officials, however, made clear that the vaccination was not mandatory.

The Sultanate, which became the first country in the region to procure the anti H1N1 vaccine when the first consignment of 100,000 doses of ‘Novartis Focetria’ arrived here last week, is targeting Haj pilgrims and frontline health workers in the first phase of the immunisation effort.

The government has signed contracts with Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to purchase a total of 2.6 million doses of the vaccine, bracing itself for a second wave of the infection during this winter as predicted by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

More than 2,400 confirmed cases of swine flu have been recorded in Oman since its outbreak in the country at the end of July.  The disease caused the deaths of 24 people.   About 10,000 Haj pilgrims and some 25,000 doctors, nurses and para-medical staff in the public and private sector health establishments across the county will start receiving the single intra-muscular shots from Sunday.

In the second, third and fourth phases, people working in essential services, pregnant women and patients with chronic diseases of all ages will be covered.

In the subsequent stages, children aged six months-two years, 2-5 years and 6-18 years will be administered the vaccine, followed by healthy people aged 18 and above, especially students of universities, colleges and other higher education institutions.

Khaleej Times