New Cases of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever in Iraq

The Ministry of Health of Iraq reported five new cases of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever since the start of 2018, with four cases resulting to death. In the past two years, no cases of such disease have been reported. The cases were from Nineveh, Erbil, and Al-Qadisiyyah.

Advies

Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever virus is generally transmitted from cattle and sheep to humans by exposure to infected animal blood or by bites from infected ticks. Removal of ticks from animals using unprotected hands is often a source of infection. The infection can also spread from person to person by infected blood. The risk of exposure for most travellers is low. Travellers can reduce the risk of exposure by taking all necessary precautions to avoid tick bites, especially when in contact with cattle or other livestock in areas where this virus is common.