KRG Health Minister: We have daily suspected cases of hemorrhagic fever

The Minister of Health of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) confirmed the continuation of preventive measures to confront the spread of hemorrhagic fever in the Kurdistan Region.

Dr. Saman Barzanji, Minister of Health, said in a press conference that procedures and cooperation are continuing between the ministries of health and agriculture to confront the spread of the hemorrhagic fever.

" We have daily suspected cases of hemorrhagic fever, but this is not enough. These people indeed deal with livestock, but we conduct laboratory tests for these cases to ensure that they have a fever. In Kurdistan Region, we had only two confirmed cases, and they received the necessary treatment and recovered," he added.
 
The Minister of Health indicated that preventive measures are continuing because the disease is still present and the death rate is very high, calling on citizens to adhere to the preventive instructions to protect them from infection.

According to the Iraqi Ministry of Health, 142 cases of hemorrhagic fever or Congo fever had been recorded throughout the country so far with the number of deaths reaching 24 cases.

The Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic fever, also known as Congo fever, is tick-borne and causes severe hemorrhaging. 

People are often infected after they come into contact with the blood of infected animals, often after slaughtering livestock. The symptoms of the disease in its first stage include high temperature, lethargy, and various pains in the body and abdomen in particular.

Congo fever 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.

The disease existed in Iraq with only 20 cases or less in a year, but this year, the country has recorded over 100 cases so far, prompting authorities to take measures to control the disease spread.

Kirkuk recorded the first case of hemorrhagic fever death on May 7.


PUKmedia