SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraq has recorded at least 12 deaths from Congo fever since the start of the year, the health ministry said on Tuesday.
Spokesman of the Iraqi health ministry Saif al-Badr said the country had reached 55 cases of haemorrhagic fever as of Tuesday.
Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever causes severe haemorrhaging, with people usually catching it through contact with the blood of infected animals, according to the World Health Organization.
The disease has a fatality rate of between 10 and 40 percent of all cases.
“We have not yet reached the stage of an epidemic, but the infections are higher than last year,” AFP quoted Badr as saying.
“The procedures adopted by the different authorities are not up to par, particularly with regards to unregulated slaughters,” he added.
Authorities have launched a crackdown on slaughterhouses suspected of violating health regulations, and several provinces have banned the entry and exit of livestock.
The disease has been endemic to Iraq since 1979, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). At times, small outbreaks have been reported, with the last outbreak happening in 2021 with 18 cases confirmed in Dhi Qar and Nineveh provinces.
