Tuberculosis elimination in Oman: winning the war on the disease

Abstract

In 2014, the World Health Assembly adopted the new End TB Strategy that targets ending tuberculosis (TB) by 2035. This article describes the progress made to eliminate TB in Oman.Data from officials and other sources provided the information to assess the situation in Oman.In the period 1981–1992, TB notifications decreased by 11% per year. Between 1992 and 2016, the rates declined more slowly at 4.6% per year, i.e. from 16 to 7.8 per 100 000. During 2010–2016, 2352 TB cases (80% males and 60% Omani nationals) were reported. Bacteriologically confirmed TB cases decreased from 47 to 38 per million population, with a cumulative decline of 19%. The success rate of TB treatment was >87%. Among the new cases, 1.2% were multidrug-resistant TB cases. TB mortality rate dropped by 39% between 1990 and 2016.TB control efforts in Oman have produced remarkable effects. However, the pre-elimination threshold set at <10 notified TB cases per million population per year is not yet in reach. There is a need for an urgent national response and careful consideration of new available interventions.