Health

Iraq’s health ministry warns a rise in Crimean Congo fever in next month

However, the disease is not a new health challenge for Iraq, the country has recorded an unprecedented number of infections only in 2022.

Kurdistan 24 2022/08/26 13:19

A member of a veterinary team sprays a farm's cattle and enclosures with disinfectant in Iraq's northern city of Kirkuk, on May 7, 2022. (Photo: Shwan Nawzad/AFP)

Iraq Iraq Crimean-Congo Fever

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi Ministry of Health warned that the country could see an increase in cases of the animal-borne Crimean-Congo fever, according to state media.

The rise in infections will be particularly noticed during September and October, Dr. Riyad Abdul-Amir Al-Halfi, the head of the public health department at the ministry, told the state media INA on Friday.

Lack of spraying livestock with disinfectants in the previous years is now driving the infections up, according to the medical official.

He warned that the disease is now spreading “widely” despite the fact that is a “seasonal” one.

The southern Dhi Qar province has been the epicenter of infections, of which Iraq has recorded almost 300 cases. The majority of infections are in Dhi Qar, according to the official tally.

However, the disease is not a new health challenge for Iraq, the country has recorded an unprecedented number of infections only in 2022.

Random animal slaughtering without medical regulations is also cited by health officials as another reason behind the uptick.

Fifty-five individuals have so far died due to the virus, which has a fatality rate of up to 40 percent, according to the ministry.

An infected person would demonstrate a number of symptoms after infections, including high fever and internal bleeding.

There is no known cure or vaccine against the virus.

Authorities in Baghdad and Erbil have tightened the slaughtering measures following the rise in infections in a bid to contain the further spreading of the deadly disease.