Baghdad, July 21 (IANS) The death toll of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in Iraq has risen to 30, with a total of 231 cases recorded nationwide since the beginning of this year, the Iraqi Health Ministry announced on Monday.

Ministry spokesman Saif al-Badr said in a statement that the southern province of Dhi Qar recorded the highest number of infections, with 84 cases and four deaths, followed by Baghdad with 38 cases and six deaths.

The latest update marks an increase from the figures announced by Iraqi health authorities on June 12, which stood at 123 cases and 19 deaths, Xinhua news agency reported.

Al-Badr recommended that citizens purchase meat from health-approved slaughterhouses, store meat at very low freezing temperatures, and ensure that it is cooked at high temperatures to eliminate pathogens.

CCHF, characterized by fever, muscle aches, headache, and bleeding, has a high fatality rate ranging from 10 percent to 40 percent.

Since the late 1970s, CCHF has been the most common viral hemorrhagic fever in Iraq. The largest outbreak occurred in 2023, when over 587 cases and 83 deaths were reported, predominantly affecting southern provinces.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), CCHF is a widespread disease caused by a tick-borne virus (Nairovirus) of the Bunyaviridae family. The CCHF virus causes severe viral haemorrhagic fever outbreaks, with a case fatality rate of 10–40 per cent.

The CCHF virus is transmitted to people either by tick bites or through contact with infected animal blood or tissues during and immediately after slaughter. The majority of cases have occurred in people involved in the livestock industry, such as agricultural workers, slaughterhouse workers and veterinarians.

Human-to-human transmission can occur resulting from close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected persons. Hospital-acquired infections can also occur due to improper sterilisation of medical equipment, reuse of needles and contamination of medical supplies, said WHO.

–IANS

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