Butcher in Kirkuk dies from viral hemorrhagic fever

The butcher’s death came shortly after the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture announced that a recent outbreak of VHFs had been contained in the country.
A number of agricultural workers spray livestock to prevent spread of VHFs in an Iraqi province. (Photo: Handout/Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture)
A number of agricultural workers spray livestock to prevent spread of VHFs in an Iraqi province. (Photo: Handout/Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A butcher in Kirkuk died after being infected by one of the viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHF) on Friday, a health official confirmed to Kurdistan 24. 

The butcher had been admitted to a hospital in Kirkuk on May 1, where health workers confirmed that he was infected with the virus.

Delayed treatment caused by the individual not immediately seeking medical help after becoming sick was one reason he succumbed to the fever, the health source in the hospital told Kurdistan 24. 

The butcher’s death came shortly after the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture announced that a recent outbreak of VHFs had been contained in the country.

On Thursday, Iraq’s northwestern Nineveh province also recorded its first VHF case. 

The Kurdistan Region has not recorded any cases, Health Minister Saman Barzinji told Kurdistan 24 on Wednesday. 

Consisting of a group of diseases, VHFs can be transmitted from animals to humans via ticks. Symptoms of the contagious infection include high blood pressure and bleeding. 

Health and agricultural authorities cautioned people against purchasing meat from slaughterhouses that aren’t approved by health authorities since the risk of infections is very high. 

There are no known cures or vaccines for these VHFs.