First Hemorrhagic Fever death reported in Kirkuk

Shafaq News/ On Friday, the veterinary hospital in Kirkuk announced the first recorded death from hemorrhagic fever in the southwest of the governorate.

Sabah Nouri Hassan, an official at the hospital, told Shafaq News Agency that the deceased 25-year-old woman was from the Hawija district, located 25 km southwest of Kirkuk.

The patient tested positive for hemorrhagic fever after undergoing a confirmatory RT-PCR test for Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), Hassan said.

In response to the death, "the hospital initiated an intensive campaign in Al-Maqam village, where the woman had lived. Veterinary clinic officials and staff in the Riyadh subdistrict conducted a spraying and sheep dipping campaign in the village to prevent further infections."

Earlier this month, Kurdistan Regional Health Minister Saman Barzanji announced the first cases of hemorrhagic fever in 2024 during a joint press conference with Begard Shukrallah, the Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources.

Minister Barzanji reported that approximately 50 cases of Hemorrhagic Fever have been recorded across Iraq, with eight fatalities.

Dhi Qar governorate reported the highest cases, with 15 infections and two deaths.

Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) are a group of diseases caused by several distinct families of viruses. The term refers to conditions where many of the body's organ systems are affected, the cardiovascular system is damaged, and the body's ability to function independently is reduced.

These viral infections are not limited to a single mode of transmission. They can spread in numerous ways, including through insect bites and contact with the body fluids of infected people or animals.

Viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) symptoms vary depending on the specific disease. Early in the illness, they often include fever, body aches, dizziness, extreme tiredness (fatigue), headache, and rash.

In severe cases, VHFs can also cause bleeding from the nose, eyes, gums, or vagina, severe vomiting or diarrhea, vomiting blood, bloody diarrhea, chest, neck, or stomach pain, difficulty breathing, extremely low blood pressure, seizures, and coma.

In Iraq, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is the most common type.

According to the WHO, Iraq is among the eastern Mediterranean countries where Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is endemic.

WHO pointed out that sheep and cattle husbandry are prevalent in Iraq, and studies indicate that these animals are frequently infested with ticks, primarily Hylomma species, which serve as the primary vectors for CCHF transmission.

Basim Al-Gharabi, a member of the Parliamentary Health Committee, explained to Shafaq News Agency that the rise in human cases of hemorrhagic fever is linked to temperature fluctuations.

Al-Gharabi explained that "the tick, which carries hemorrhagic fever, goes dormant in winter and becomes active in summer. This leads to cases being reported during this time each season, with an increase higher than usual for the past two years," attributing the disease's activity to "grazing and random animal keeping in the streets, necessitating an awareness campaign and therapeutic measures by the Iraqi Ministry of Health, which has comprehensive information about hemorrhagic fever. The treatment protocol is available, and ticks are eradicated through pesticides, as well as washing and dipping of sheep and other preventive measures."