The recent initiative taken by Omani bloggers to help raise awareness about the spreading swine flu in the country managed to attract media attention and raise money to help take the initiative further. The campaign that was started as an online idea and then as a gathering in a local market was covered by the Arab new channel Al Arabia, and was later supported financially by a local securities company.

On Friday of this week bloggers have arranged for a public awareness event in which bloggers will again inform the visitors of a shopping mall about protection methods and will distribute masks and sanitizers. The event will include a street dancing session by a local freestyle dance group and will be sponsored by some local companies and newspapers.

Bloggers have also announced a new poster design competition to raise awareness about the flu. The first place winner of the competition will be awarded a Wacom Bamboo drawing tablet and the top submissions will be published in The Week and Muscat Daily newspapers.

Bloggers organising this campaign have started a new dedicated website to cover the latest updates happening in the Omani blogosphere and to publish the latest events for swine flu campaign.