211 Congo fever cases recorded in Iraq this year
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s health ministry on Sunday announced it has recorded 211 cases of the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever since the beginning of the year, with the disease having so far killed 26.
“The number of cases from hemorrhagic fever during the current year reached 211 cases, including 26 deaths and 185 other infections,” Saif al-Badr, spokesperson for Iraq’s health ministry, said during a presser in Baghdad.
The southern province of Dhi Qar, known for rearing cattle, sheep, and goats, all of which are potential carriers of the disease, has the lion’s share of cases with 40, followed by Nineveh, Baghdad, and Basra.
In the Kurdistan Region, Erbil province leads the charts with seven cases, followed by Duhok with five and Sulaimani with three.
The Crimean-Congo fever is a tick-borne infection that causes severe hemorrhaging. It has been endemic to Iraq since 1979 but has made a resurgence since 2021 sparking fear among the population, especially in Iraq's southern provinces.
The disease can be transmitted from one infected human to another by contact with infectious blood or body fluids, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Signs of the fever include bleeding, excessive headaches, fatigue, blue marks on the skin, and hematuria - blood in the urine.
On cholera, Badr said that “infections exceeded 400 cases, with 119 cases recorded in Sulaimani province and 109 in Kirkuk, while Diyala province recorded 107 cases,” and the disease has caused no deaths.
Cholera is an acute diarrheal infection caused by eating or drinking food or water that is contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholera, according to WHO. The Kurdistan Region recorded large-scale cholera outbreaks in 2007, 2008, and 2012.
“The number of cases from hemorrhagic fever during the current year reached 211 cases, including 26 deaths and 185 other infections,” Saif al-Badr, spokesperson for Iraq’s health ministry, said during a presser in Baghdad.
The southern province of Dhi Qar, known for rearing cattle, sheep, and goats, all of which are potential carriers of the disease, has the lion’s share of cases with 40, followed by Nineveh, Baghdad, and Basra.
In the Kurdistan Region, Erbil province leads the charts with seven cases, followed by Duhok with five and Sulaimani with three.
The Crimean-Congo fever is a tick-borne infection that causes severe hemorrhaging. It has been endemic to Iraq since 1979 but has made a resurgence since 2021 sparking fear among the population, especially in Iraq's southern provinces.
The disease can be transmitted from one infected human to another by contact with infectious blood or body fluids, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Signs of the fever include bleeding, excessive headaches, fatigue, blue marks on the skin, and hematuria - blood in the urine.
On cholera, Badr said that “infections exceeded 400 cases, with 119 cases recorded in Sulaimani province and 109 in Kirkuk, while Diyala province recorded 107 cases,” and the disease has caused no deaths.
Cholera is an acute diarrheal infection caused by eating or drinking food or water that is contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholera, according to WHO. The Kurdistan Region recorded large-scale cholera outbreaks in 2007, 2008, and 2012.