Hemorrhagic Fever Resurfaces in Iraq

22April2025
Iraq announces 19 cases of hemorrhagic fever and two deaths as a result of hemorrhagic fever, which has begun its third consecutive season across Iraq.
The Ministry of Health announces the registration of 19 cases of hemorrhagic fever in Iraq.
The Iraqi Minister of Health, Dr. Saleh Mahdi Al-Hasnawi, announced the registration of 19 cases of hemorrhagic fever in Iraq. This was reported by the Ministry’s media. The Minister of Health indicated during a press conference held at the Ministry’s headquarters on Monday, April 21, 2025, that the recorded cases are concentrated in Dhi Qar Governorate, with 7 cases, 4 in Kirkuk, and 3 in Muthanna. The remaining cases are distributed, with one case in several governorates, and the recorded deaths are only two.
The Minister stated that one of the deceased was an employee of the Kirkuk Health Department who contracted the infection while performing his work in one of the department’s institutions. Stressing the importance of preventive measures to be followed by housewives, livestock breeders, and butchers, the importance and necessity of using gloves and washing meat thoroughly before cooking to prevent infection, adopting health and preventive standards, and using sterilizers and disinfectants in butcher shops and animal breeding areas to eradicate this disease.
The Rudaw news website reported that the number of infections in Kirkuk Hospital has reached 14 cases, in addition to the two deaths in the governorate.
Veterinary departments and centers are carrying out a comprehensive national campaign to spray animal pens and also dip animals in insecticides to kill ticks, the main vector of the disease.