ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - After a surge in cases of Congo fever in Iraq, Erbil has tightened regulations to halt imports of animals from southern provinces, an official from the veterinary directorate said on Sunday.
“We are not importing any animal from Iraq’s provinces into the Kurdistan Region,” Dr Mohammed Mamand, director of Erbil Veterinary, told Rudaw, pointing to Iraq’s spike in cases of Congo as the reason for the change.
Saif al-Badr, the spokesperson for Iraq’s health ministry, told state media on Friday that 39 cases of the fever have been recorded since the beginning of the year, 12 of which were recorded in Dhi Qar province. No cases have been found in the Kurdistan Region.
Five people have died of the disease, according to Badr.
The Crimean-Congo fever is a tick-borne illness that causes severe hemorrhaging. It has been endemic to Iraq since 1979, but has appeared in greater numbers since 2021.
The disease can be transmitted from one infected human to another by contact with infectious blood or body fluids, according to the World Health Organization. Symptoms include bleeding, excessive headaches, fatigue, blue marks on the skin, and hematuria - blood in the urine - amongst others.
The surge of cases comes as the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha is around the corner. On this holiday, Muslims sacrifice lambs, cows, and sheep, and distribute their meat to the poor and needy.
Mamand said they have warned butchers and slaughterhouses to wear gloves and special gear while dealing with the animals during the holiday.
“Pesticides will be distributed to livestock farmers to be fully prepared before Eid al-Adha to prevent the spread of the disease in the Kurdistan Region,” Mamand said.
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