No CCHF cases in Kurdistan’s Erbil, authorities on High Alert

Shafaq News/ On Sunday, health officials in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, confirmed that no cases of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) have been recorded within the province, despite the disease surfacing in several other Iraqi provinces.

Dr. Dlovan Mohammed, Director General of Erbil’s Public Health Department, told Shafaq News Agency that while the outbreak has been reported in nearby provinces including Kirkuk, “the virus has not reached Erbil so far, although it has been detected near the borders of the Kurdistan Region.”

He added that Erbil's health authorities have ramped up seasonal monitoring efforts that typically begin in April and continue through July. “We have launched intensified surveillance, prepared medical supplies, mobilized trained personnel, and designated isolation units in hospitals to ensure readiness should any cases emerge,” he said.

The announcement came one day after the Iraqi Ministry of Health confirmed two deaths from the disease in the northern province of Kirkuk, along with 14 total infections reported across the country since the beginning of 2025.