The disease has spread to several cities in the Kurdistan region.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) health minister confirmed another case of Congo fever in Zakho. ‘We have taken necessary measured to halt its spread,’ the ministry announced.
Saman Barzanji, the KRG Minister of Health, announced that another suspected case of Sinjar has been diagnosed in Zakho. The patient is hospitalized in Duhok. ‘The patient worked in an animal slaughter house and he received the virus from animals. His condition is stable and he is under treatment,’ the minister added.
He said Congo fever is not a new disease, it is a common disease transmitted between animals and humans, and it is considered one of the most dangerous diseases due to its high rate of disability and death among the infected.
He added that the Ministry of Health of the Kurdistan Regional Government had launched several measures to protect citizens from the spread of the fever.
The minister said the number of cases depends on the case detection program by health teams, which is considered an essential stage of control; this process is carried out daily, and suspects are detected by taking samples.
Erbil recorded the first case of the Congo fever in the Kurdistan region on May 11. The patient was sent home after proper treatment, the health ministry said.
The disease is largely contained as the virus does not transmit from human to human.