SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The death toll from Congo fever rose to 31, said Iraq’s ministry of health in a statement on Tuesday.
The ministry of health released a new record of the Congo fever breakout in the country, so far 170 cases have been recorded throughout Iraq, and 31 deaths are reported as well.
“There are 170 cases including 31 deaths,” the statement said.
“Measures intensified by Iraqi veterinary authorities to reduce the outbreak of hemorrhagic fever in the country,” it said.
It further added that the ministry of Agriculture began a campaign to spray pesticides and sterilize animals to eliminate the outbreak of the disease caused by a virus that spreads among animals and infects humans as well.
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever causes severe hemorrhaging, 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.
Iraq is suffering from an unusual wave of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever since last year, sparking panic among people that there might be an inadequate response from the health officials.
Despite the concerns about the disease among the locals, the country is also witnessing an extreme time of difficulty and crisis resulting from political instability and fears of climate change that impacted almost the region.
