Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi Environment Minister Sarwa Abdulwahid has sparked controversy over the safety of fish and water from the Tigris River after suggesting that untreated hospital waste, including blood from patients with serious illnesses, could contaminate fish, prompting health officials to clarify that HIV cannot be transmitted through food or water.

“Since taking charge of environmental affairs, I have become hesitant and afraid to buy fish and food products from rivers because hospital waste and blood from patients with serious diseases, such as AIDS and other blood disorders, are dumped directly into the river without treatment,” Abdulwahid said during an interview with Dijlah TV on October 8.

Her remarks raised concerns among consumers and questions about their scientific accuracy, while fish producers warned that the controversy could undermine sales and threaten livelihoods in a country already struggling with water shortages, inadequate wastewater treatment, and environmental pollution.

HIV Transmission

Amid the controversy, Iraq's Environment and Health ministries issued separate clarifications on October 11, confirming that HIV cannot be transmitted through drinking water or eating food, including fish. The ministries differed, however, in their responses to allegations concerning the disposal of untreated medical waste.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), HIV is transmitted through certain bodily fluids, including blood, under conditions that allow the virus to enter another person's body. It does not spread through food, water, or ordinary daily contact.

Professor Khalil Ibrahim Saleh, an adviser to the Iraqi Association of Fish Producers, told Shafaq News that neither swimming in rivers nor eating fish caught in them constitutes a recognized route of HIV transmission.

He explained that HIV can replicate only inside specific human cells carrying receptors such as CD4 and loses its ability to cause infection outside the body under normal environmental conditions.

Saleh also noted that cooking helps protect against many foodborne pathogens, although consumers must still ensure that fish are obtained from safe sources and properly stored and prepared.

The WHO identifies the main routes of HIV transmission as sexual contact involving a risk of infection, exposure to infected blood, sharing contaminated injecting equipment, and transmission from mother to child under certain circumstances.

Mounting Pressure

Beyond the public health debate, the minister's comments have added to concerns in Iraq's fish industry, which producers say is already struggling with imported competition, shrinking farming areas, and disease outbreaks.

Eyad al-Talibi, head of the Iraqi Association of Fish Producers, told Shafaq News that Abdulwahid's statements had affected the marketing of locally produced fish at a time when domestic suppliers face growing competition from imports, particularly carp.

Read more: What is killing Iraq’s fish?

He said licensed fish farms were also experiencing operational difficulties, alongside outbreaks of koi herpesvirus, a disease affecting fish.

Al-Talibi warned that raising concerns about fish safety without clear scientific explanations could discourage purchases, increase producers' losses, and threaten investment in the sector.

He stressed that the timing was particularly sensitive because fish farming generally begins in March, while most production reaches the market in November and December.

A decline in demand during this period could leave producers with unsold stocks, drive down prices, and threaten the viability of fish farms, he explained.

The impact of the controversy is already being felt by some fishermen.

Along the banks of the Al-Haffar River in Al-Sunniyah district of Al-Diwaniyah Province, 50-year-old fisherman Abu Alyaa told Shafaq News that demand for fish had fallen following the minister's remarks.

Fishing is his main source of income, he said, explaining that returning home without selling his catch means losing the daily earnings needed to support his family.

He expressed hope that clearer health information would help restore public confidence in locally caught fish.

Pollution Threat

While HIV transmission through fish or river water is not a recognized health risk, pollution of the Tigris remains a serious environmental concern.

Official discussions have linked the deterioration of water quality to industrial activities, power plants, factories, oil facilities, untreated sewage, and liquid waste discharged from some hospitals and other establishments.

Read more: Toxic sewage flows overwhelm Iraq’s declining waterways

On September 24, the environmental organization Iraq Green Observatory warned that pollution in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers was associated with 13 human diseases, adding that addressing the damage could take years.

In an earlier statement on August 23, the observatory identified approximately 500 sources of pollution along the Tigris, naming five provinces, particularly Basra and Baghdad, among the areas most affected by severe environmental violations.

Read more: Death in the current: Pollution decimates Iraq’s river ecosystems