SULAIMANI (ESTA) — A Kurdish health official warned on Friday that Congo fever is “dangerous” but he denied rumors that the government will impose a curfew in the Region.
Deputy minister of health Dr. Rahel Faraidoon told Esta Media Network that all kinds of viruses are “dangerous” and people should take precautions to protect themselves.
He called on people to take precautions when they deal and use meat as the haemorrhagic fever is transmitted by infected people or animals.
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.
The official denied rumors that the government would impose a curfew due to the disease.
“Those rumors are baseless and far from truth,” he said.
The official added that only one person had been diagnosed with the disease in the Kurdistan Region.
On Tuesday, the directorate of health in Erbil said a 17-year-old resident had been infected with the severe disease.
Iraq had recorded 12 deaths and 55 cases of haemorrhagic fever as of Tuesday, according to the health ministry.
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.
