Rising number of Crimean-Congo fever cases in Iraq is 'concerning': Health Ministry

Most of those infected are butchers and livestock breeders. 
A member of a veterinary team talks to farmers during a cattle disinfection campaign in Iraq's northern city of Kirkuk, May 7, 2022. (Photo: Shwan Nawzad/AFP)
A member of a veterinary team talks to farmers during a cattle disinfection campaign in Iraq's northern city of Kirkuk, May 7, 2022. (Photo: Shwan Nawzad/AFP)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The rapidly rising number of recorded cases of the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in Iraq is a "concerning development," the country's health ministry spokesperson said on Saturday. 

While Iraq has recorded CCHF cases in the past, health authorities are concerned by the increasing numbers recorded so far this year, Saif Al-Badr told Al-Iraqiya state television. 

Since the beginning of 2022, there have been 136 confirmed CCHF cases in Iraq, a sharp increase from previous years. The official said that out of the 136 confirmed cases, 26 have been fatal, including a woman in Baghdad.

Most of those infected are butchers and livestock breeders. 

The CCHF is transmittable via ticks from an infected animal to humans. Its symptoms include high fever and internal and external bleeding. No cure is known nor vaccine available against this contagion. 

According to the official, more than half of the infections and fatalities have been in the southern Dhi Qar governorate's provincial capital of Nasiriyah. He did not clarify why that particular area has seen so many cases. 

One of the explanations is the reduced spraying of livestock during the two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization recently told AP. 

Agricultural authorities in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region have imposed stricter hygiene protocols at slaughterhouses to stem the spread of the virus, which has a fatality rate of up to 40 percent. 

Early diagnosis is critical to saving the patient's life, Al-Badir added, saying more than half of the infected people had been discharged from the hospital after being given the necessary care. 

The disease is still common in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.