Dhi Qar on the Frontline

4/ 8/ 2025
With 86 cases of Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever recorded since the beginning of the year, including six deaths, Dhi Qar Governorate in southern Iraq has become a frontline for the disease in Iraq and an area that warrants study, research, and investigation. Dhi Qar recorded the first case of this hemorrhagic fever in Iraq in 2025, in a person in the Al-Gharraf district at the beginning of March.

The efforts of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture are still unable to stop the spread of the disease, and severe pressure is noticeable on veterinary personnel in Dhi Qar Governorate.

In 2023, the country witnessed the largest outbreak of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, with more than 229 confirmed cases and 36 deaths, according to data from the Iraqi Ministry of Health.