Erbil issues instructions on viral hemorrhagic fevers

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Authorities in the Kurdistan Region capital Erbil issued instructions to animal slaughterhouses and markets on preventing outbreaks of viral hemorrhagic fevers, a group of viruses transmittable from animals to humans, on Wednesday. 

The instructions came after health authorities recently recorded 18 infections in Iraq’s southern provinces, four of which were fatal.

Slaughterhouses and markets where livestock is traded must be sprayed with pesticides to prevent any outbreak of these deadly viruses, read a statement from the Erbil Governorate. 

There are no cures or vaccines available to counter most of these viruses, according to the US Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, or CDC.

Animal slaughters outside officially-designated facilities that are not under the supervision of veterinarians are prohibited, according to the statement. 

Zoos in the capital must also spray and wash their animals. 

The city has banned meat imports without medical checks. 

The Kurdistan Region has neither recorded any cases nor has any suspected ones, chief of Erbil health directorate Dlovan Moammmad told Kurdistan 24 on Thursday.

The virus affects the overall cardiovascular system and other vital organs of the infected. The viruses’ symptoms vary but usually include bleeding. Some cases are mild, while others are severe and can cause death. 

A number of veterinarians in Kirkuk province held a campaign on Thursday to inform butchers about the risks of the deadly viruses and ways to prevent their outbreak.