Knowledge, attitudes and intended behaviours towards HIV testing and self-protection: a survey of Omani pregnant women

Routine HIV testing of all pregnant women in Oman has been introduced without prior knowledge of women's attitudes towards testing or their behaviour in the event of a positive test. This study recruited 1000 Omani pregnant women from antenatal clinics to explore their knowledge of HIV/AIDS, attitudes towards HIV testing and intended behaviours in the event of a positive test. Mother-to-child transmission was recognized by 86.6% of the women but only 21.0% knew that it was preventable and a few acknowledged the important role of antiviral drugs. Half of the women [51.9%] reported having been tested for HIV and 75.8% agreed about routine HIV testing for all pregnant women. A higher level of knowledge was significantly associated with a favourable intended behaviour related to voluntary testing, disclosure and seeking professional assistance in the event of a positive HIV test. The results are discussed in relation to opt-in and opt-out approaches to voluntary testing during pregnancy

Effect of first and second doses of measles vaccine on immunity to measles among infants in Sana'a city, Yemen

To investigate the effects of first and second doses of measles vaccine on immunity to measles among infants in Sana'a city,. A total of 518 infants, aged 2-24 months were enrolled. Of these 376 infants were unvaccinated and were either under the age of vaccination or had already passed the age of vaccination [age 2 to 12 months], 71 infants who were given the first dose and 71 infants who were given two doses of measles vaccine. Serum samples were tested for measles specific IgG. Two hundred and seven out of 376 [55.1%] unvaccinated infants were seronegative for measles antibodies. With increasing age, the rates of seronegativity increased and the mean antibody levels among seropositive infants decreased. In the unvaccinated cohort [n=129] who aged 9-12 months [the age at which all infants are due for vaccination], 109 [84.5%] were seronegative. Compared to unvaccinated infants 56 of 71 [78.9%] who were given the first dose of vaccine seroconverted [p<0.0001] developing a significantly higher mean antibody level [p<0.001]. However, 65 of 71 [91.5%] who had received the second vaccine dose seroconverted [p

Knowledge of tuberculosis among medical professionals and university students in Oman

This study in Oman investigated knowledge about tuberculosis among 142 medics [medical students, paramedics] and 133 non-medics [arts and social science students]. Knowledge was assessed using a validated questionnaire with 28 statements on general knowledge, risk factors and diagnosis of tuberculosis. As expected, tuberculosis knowledge was significantly higher among medics but there was no significant difference between men and women. Although medics had better knowledge in general, some of the technical statements were answered correctly by higher proportions of non-medics