(MENAFN) The number of confirmed deaths from Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in Iraq has climbed to 30, with 231 total infections reported across the country so far this year, the Iraqi Health Ministry said Monday.

According to ministry spokesperson Saif al-Badr, Dhi Qar province in the south has been hit the hardest, recording 84 cases and four fatalities. The capital, Baghdad, follows with 38 infections and six deaths.

This marks a sharp rise from the previous figures released on June 12, when health authorities had reported 123 cases and 19 deaths.

Al-Badr urged the public to buy meat only from licensed, health-inspected slaughterhouses, to store it at deep-freeze temperatures, and to cook it thoroughly to destroy potential pathogens.

CCHF is a severe viral disease that causes symptoms such as high fever, muscle pain, headaches, and internal bleeding. Its mortality rate is alarmingly high—ranging between 10% and 40%.

First identified in Iraq in the late 1970s, CCHF has remained the country’s most prevalent viral hemorrhagic fever. The virus is primarily spread through tick bites or by direct contact with the blood or tissue of infected animals, especially livestock.

Iraq has faced repeated CCHF outbreaks over the years, with the deadliest wave recorded in 2023. That year saw over 587 confirmed cases and 83 deaths, mostly in the southern regions.

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