ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraq’s Ministry of Health says the total number of hemorrhagic fever cases in the country has risen to 62 since the beginning of this year, including eight fatalities.

Kirkuk alone has recorded four fatalities, with the other four deaths registered in Dhi Qar, Wasit, Diyala, and Muthanna provinces.

Until now, the health ministry has recorded 54 cases and eight deaths across the country, with Dhi Qar and Kirkuk hardest hit by the deadly pandemic, Saer Hussein, in charge of the pandemic department ministry, announced.

The Kurdistan Region has so far registered only one case of the hemorrhagic fever: a 42-year-old butcher in Erbil province’s eastern Koya district.

Hemorrhagic fever is an infectious viral disease, often transmitted from animals to humans, with symptoms that can range from mild to severe and life-threatening, with those working intimately with animals facing an elevated risk of infection.

Certain variants of the viral infection can also be transmitted through mosquito or tick bites, while others spread from person to person through infected body fluids, such as blood, saliva, and semen.

Local authorities at the provincial level have already implemented a series of measures, including prohibiting the slaughter of animals outside designated slaughterhouses.

Iraqi authorities have also urged citizens to take precautions to mitigate the spread of the disease, especially for those who work closely with livestock.