A WHO mission took place from 2 to 6 March 2013 to validate elimination of measles, rubella and congenital rubella syndrome in Oman. The mission held numerous meetings with Ministry of Health experts and paid some site visits including the Oman/Yemen borders in Dhofar Governorate. The mission noted that Oman meets the full criteria set by WHO for the elimination of the three vaccine-preventable diseases. The mission also made a few recommendations for ensuring elimination status including strengthening case classification, updating the surveillance guidelines and further laboratory analysis of genotype to better understand the epidemiological trend.
Measles is one of the leading causes of death among young children globally even though a safe and cost-effective vaccine is available. Measles vaccination has resulted in a 74% drop in measles death globally in the last 10 years. Rubella is a contagious viral disease, which occurs most often in children which can also be prevented by immunization. The success of the immunization programmes in Oman has resulted in less than 10 reported measles and rubella cases yearly.