ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq has taken measures to curb the recent Congo hemorrhagic fever outbreak that has spread in its southern provinces infecting over a dozen of people, an official governmental statement read on Thursday.
The Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, also known as Congo fever, is tick-borne and causes severe hemorrhaging. It appeared in Iraq years ago, before disappearing.
People are often infected after they come into contact with the blood of infected animals, often after slaughtering livestock.
The fever started reappearing again in Iraq last year, sparking fear among locals.
The agriculture ministry on Thursday stated that veterinary clinics across all Iraqi provinces have been armed with pesticides to combat the tick, also adding that they continue their ongoing control campaigns of spraying livestock and barns with pesticides to eliminate the threat of the fever.
The ministry urged the public to buy meat from legally licensed slaughterhouses, reassuring them that there was no threat of buying meat if the process has been conducted under the supervision of veterinarian staff.
Iraq recorded four deaths and 18 cases of the infection since the start of the year, Saif al-Badr, spokesperson for Iraq’s health ministry, told state media on Tuesday.
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.
No cases of the fever have been recorded in the Kurdistan Region.
However, Erbil governorate on Wednesday called on the people to stay away from the “very dangerous disease” in a list of guidelines.
The instructions included prohibiting the slaughter of animals and the import of animals into the province without the supervision of veterinarians, as well as announcing campaign to spray livestock with anti-tick sprays.
The disease has been endemic to Iraq since 1979, according to World Health Organization (WHO). It can be transmitted from one infected human to another by contact with infectious blood or body fluids.
Signs of the fever include bleeding, excessive headaches, fatigue, blue marks on the skin, and hematuria - blood in the urine - amongst others.
