Erbil registers first Congo fever case

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Region on Tuesday recorded the first case of Congo fever amid an outbreak in Iraq’s southern provinces.

Erbil General Directorate of Health reported the first Congo hemorrhagic fever in the city. The infected person is 17-year-old and has been hospitalized.

The directorate did not disclose further details.

The Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, also known as Congo fever, is tick-borne and causes severe hemorrhaging, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It has been endemic to Iraq since 1979 and reappeared again last year.

People are often infected after they are exposed to the blood of infected animals, often after slaughtering livestock.

Iraq’s health ministry earlier said the country has reported a total of 55 cases of the infection so far and AFP reported at least 12 deaths.

The disease has a fatality rate of up to 40 percent, WHO says with no vaccine available for neither people nor animals.

The infection can also be transmitted through "close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected persons," according to the WHO.

Kirkuk reported its first case of the disease last week.

The southern province of Dhi Qar, widely regarded as the source of the disease in Iraq, recorded the highest number of infections. The area is known for rearing cattle, sheep, and goats, all of which are potential carriers of the disease.

Signs of the infection include bleeding, excessive headaches, fatigue, blue marks on the skin, and hematuria - blood in the urine - amongst others.