Tuesday 26 / November / 2024
Muscat: The Ministry of Health today inaugurated a programme whereby rotavirus vaccine has been included in the national schedule for the immunisation. The event also included the launch of the 4th edition of the national guide for the immunisation programme and the Omani guide for immunisation.
Rotavirus vaccine will be administered to newborns from November 2023 onwards, who will be given two doses: the first at two months from birth and the second at the age of four months.
The ceremony was held under the auspices of Dr. Hilal Ali Al Sabti, Minister of Health, who laid emphasis on the need to get the new vaccine due to its qualities that keep pace with international standards.
The minister pointed out that the Sultanate of Oman is pressing ahead with initiatives to develop the health sector.
Dr. Said Harib Al Lamki, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health for Health Affairs, said that the launch of the rotavirus vaccine and the fourth edition of the national immunization programme reflect the Ministry of Health’s keenness to eradicate infectious diseases and maintain the stability of public health.
Al Lamki stressed that administering the vaccine to the target segments (estimated at 90,000 children a year) would cut down the rate of hospitalization by 90 percent. He added that the government is currently spending the equivalent of OMR1 million on hospitalization with cases of diarrhoea that emanate from rotavirus.
