Community Participation Approaches for Effective National COVID-19 Pandemic Preparedness and Response: An Experience From Oman.

Oman, like other countries in the world, was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the WHO's declaration of the pandemic, the Ministry of Health of Oman has initiated its preparedness and response to the pandemic, with community participation as one of the key components of the national preparedness and response plan. This paper is a descriptive study aims at describing the three community approaches that exist in Oman and reviewing their role in preparedness and response strategies to COVID-19 pandemic and discuss the lessons learned. Community participation approaches in Oman were translated into action during the pandemic through empowering community members, mobilizing resources, and strengthening the ownership among the local community to ensure effective advocacy, proper networking, and dissemination of information and, subsequently, actions at the level of the community. The first community participation approach is community organizations within the healthy cities and villages initiative, which facilitated networking and acted as a platform for community engagement, reviewing the health information and updating them accordingly to meet evloving demands. The second approach is Willayat (District) health committees, with their unique multi-sectoral structure, that enhanced collaboration at the state level with different community leaders and groups to develop pandemic action plans, which were implemented using available local resources. The third approach is community volunteers that remain the key information providers, particularly when physical access becomes limited due to physical distancing measures. Based on this review, we advocate to further strengthen these approaches and recommends that they are implemented for the protection and promotion of health and well-being, including for health emergencies.

Control of the 2018-2019 dengue fever outbreak in Oman: A country previously without local transmission.

BACKGROUND: In December 2018, routine surveillance identified an autochthonous outbreak of dengue fever in Muscat Governorate, Oman, a region previously free of dengue fever. METHODS: Routine surveillance confirmed locally acquired cases in the second week of December, leading to a rapid public health response including case management guidance and epidemiological investigations. The main activity was the vector survey using systematic sampling to assess extent of previously unreported Aedes aegypti presence followed by a campaign aimed to eliminate breeding sites of A. aegypti". RESULTS: During a 5-month period, 343 suspected cases were reported from Muscat Governorate with 122 from the outbreak affected area. Out of 207 probable cases eligible for laboratory testing as per guidelines issued, 59 cases were confirmed. The vector elimination campaign started on January 8, 2019 after a media advocacy using television and social media and concluded on January 23. By the end of campaign, the case load had decreased significantly in the affected area with no reports of locally acquired cases from adjoining areas of Muscat Governorate, indicating no further spread. CONCLUSIONS: Rapid notification and early community-wide, extensive vector control activities effectively contained the autochthonous dengue fever virus outbreak.

The Effect of Obesity on Pregnancy and its Outcome in the Population of Oman, Seeb Province.

OBJECTIVES: The World Health Organization estimated that in 2011 worldwide 1.6 billion adults were overweight, and 400 million were obese. The obesity epidemic is a documented phenomenon and Oman is no exception. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of obesity on pregnancy and its prenatal and neonatal outcomes. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was carried out among pregnant Omani women attending antenatal clinics in their first trimester in the Seeb province of Muscat, Oman. RESULTS: A total of 700 pregnant women were enrolled in the study and were categorized according to their body mass index: 245 (35%) were normal weight, 217 (31%) were overweight, and 238 (34%) were obese. The relative risk (RR) of cesarean section among obese women compared to women of normal weight was 2.1 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-3.2) and of overweight women was 1.4 (95% CI 0.9-2.3). The risk of elective cesarean section increased to 7.5 (95% CI 1.7-32.8) in obese women and was statistically significant in the obese group. In this study, 100 women (15.7%) developed gestational diabetes (11.8% of normal weight women, 17.8% of overweight women, and 17.9% of obese women). Miscarriages were more common among obese women 11.9% (n = 27) compared to the normal weight and overweight groups (6.7% and 9.4%, respectively). There was a weak yet statistically significant correlation between birth weight and body mass index. The risk of macrosomia was significantly higher in obese women compared to normal weight women. To evaluate the sensitivity of the oral glucose challenge test (OGCT), the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was measured in 203 participants (29%) who had a normal OGCT result. It was found that 14.5% of overweight women and 13.5% of normal weight women had an abnormal OGTT result even when their OGCT result was normal. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity is associated with an increased risk of cesarean section (especially elective cesarean), gestational hypertension, macrosomia, and miscarriage. It also increases the risk of gestational diabetes.