Measles epidemiology and its implications for a vaccination programme in Oman

To describe the epidemiology of measles in Oman and the implications for a vaccination programme, we conducted a retrospective record-based study from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2003 using data from the national epidemiological surveillance system. All cases notified as suspected measles during the study period were included. Of the 185 notified cases, 19.4% were confirmed measles positive. Blood samples for measles IgM were collected in 97.3% of cases. The mean age of measles cases was 8.0 [SD 10.7] years. The estimated overall incidence rate of measles for the study period was 0.53 per 100 000 person-years. Regression analysis indicated measles was significantly commoner among non-Omanis and children who had not been vaccinated

Antibiotic-resistant Salmonella spp. from human and non-human sources in Oman

We investigated the antibiotic resistance of various strains of Salmonella isolated from different sources in Oman, namely sewage water, chicken and food handlers. Of 1242 isolates from food handlers, 15 [1.2%] were resistant to one or more antibiotic. Of these, 41% were resistant to ampicillin, 42% to co-trimoxazole and 22% to chloramphenicol. None of the isolates was resistant to ciprofloxacin. Of 515 isolates from chicken and 432 from sewage water, 23.7% and 14.1% respectively were resistant to one or more antibiotic. Susceptibility to the different antibiotics varied but none of the isolates from chicken was resistant to amikacin

International collaborative assessment study of the AHD [575] method for the measurement of blood haemoglobin

Accurate, economical methods for haemoglobin determination by laboratories in countries with limited resources are not available. This report provides the results of an international collaborative study evaluating the alkaline haematin detergent [AHD[575]] method as a reference method for laboratory services with limited resources. The study included 6 laboratories; 3 in East Mediterranean countries, 1 in East Africa and 3 in Europe. The [AHD[575]] method was evaluated against the HiCN method, with blood samples drawn from healthy and sick subjects. The results indicate that the AHD[575] method is suitable for measuring haemoglobin in laboratories at all levels