TB awareness survey launched in Oman

Muscat: The Ministry of Health on Wednesday launched a national questionnaire to measure the levels of knowledge, perceptions and practices related to tuberculosis in the Sultanate.

As many as 1,000 Omanis and residents from different governorates of the Sultanate were randomly selected to participate in the two-week survey.

The questionnaire serves as a local poll measuring public perceptions and pinpoint information gaps that reflect on social stands and actions pertaining to tuberculosis. It results will help assess and promote social awareness and engage all as partners in the mission to eradicate tuberculosis.

The selected participant will get a phone call from the working team. In five minutes, the participant is expected to answer a set of questions dealing with general information, as well as specific questions on what the participant knows about tuberculosis, his/her perceptions to it and his/her reactions.

The success of the questionnaire depends to a large extent on the cooperation of all, their credibility and objectiveness in answering the survey questions aimed to activate individual and collective responsibility towards the nation.

Tuberculosis is considered one of the most infectious diseases in the world. The Sultanate rates among countries with low levels of tuberculosis.

The Sultanate strives to revert to the post-TB eradication stage by cutting infection percentage to less than 1 in a million by 2035, cutting infection by 90 percent and mortality rate by 95 percent, compared to the epidemiological situation in 2015. This reflects the National TB Eradication Strategy, which the Sultanate will carry out in stages.