According to sources from the General Directorate of Animal Wealth and Veterinary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources in the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq, that they had recorded deaths of a number of wild birds in the vicinity of the Dokan Dam in Sulaymaniyah Governorate.

The Ministry of Agriculture website stated that it calls on citizens not to approach wild birds (gulls) and not to touch dead birds, because they may pose a health threat to citizens, as there are a number of diseases common between birds and humans.

In the same regard, one of the experts mentioned that the Directorate of Veterinary in Iraq , is working to send a technical delegation to inspect cases and take samples for the purpose of laboratory examination, in coordination with the regional authorities.

It is known that deaths in wild birds appear in a number of countries on an ongoing basis and may be caused by influenza or toxic diseases. The World Animal Health Organization states that cases of influenza in wild birds are not considered infections in the country, unlike infection in domestic and farm birds.

The World Organization of Animal Health also indicates that influenza disease may constitute a future threat in the field of animal and human health, and therefore it asks countries to strengthen their systems for epidemiological monitoring and investigation and to modernize their laboratories and human and professional capabilities.