Dr. Salah Al Awaidy Dr. Salah Al Awaidy is a Communicable Disease Surveillance and Control Adviser to the office of the Undersecretary of Health Affairs at the Ministry of Health (MOH), Oman. Dr. Al Awaidy is a medical doctor, and holds a Masters in Epidemiology. He headed the Communicable Disease Epidemiological Surveillance section, MOH, Oman between 1996 and 1997.
Under his leadership, Oman achieved Polio-free, Measles-free, Rubella-free, Dranculosis-free and CRS-free status, neonatal tetanus elimination and control and near elimination of Hepatitis B and other VPDs like TB and Schistosomiasis. As a result, Oman has achieved and maintained almost 99% immunization coverage regionally and nationally. In June 2012, he was honoured by the CDC as the highest achieving person in Oman.
He has also been involved in various international committees including serving as Chair for the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on Poliomyelitis Eradication in Afghanistan (2011-12). He has been a member of the TAG on Poliomyelitis Eradication in Pakistan & Afghanistan since 2013. He has served as a member of the IHR Roster of Experts since 2005 and IHR-wild Polio Eradication since 2014. He works closely with the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) of the World Health Organization (WHO) and serves as a member of the IHR Emergency Committee on Polio and MERS-CoV. He headed the wild poliovirus outbreak investigation team in Yemen in 2005.
Dr. Al Awaidy has represented the MOH in global and regional meeti.ngs and has been a member of a number of important global advisory groups, namely the Advisory Group on Immunization (SAGE), WHO Geneva (2005-2007), Strategic Advisory Group on Vaccine and Store Management Training Courses (2005-2008), Strategic TB Advisory Board (2007-2011), the AIDS Regional Advisory Group (ARAG), EMRO since 2005 and he has been a member of the GAVI Independent Review Committee since 2014.