Health ministry issues eid slaughter guidelines amid rise in hemorrhagic fever cases

ERBIL — The Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Health on Tuesday released detailed public health guidance aimed at preventing the spread of hemorrhagic fever during animal slaughter for the coming Eid Al-Adha. The recommendations come as Iraq records new infections and deaths from the virus in multiple governorates.

“To avoid contracting hemorrhagic fever, these scientific guidelines must be followed during animal slaughter,” the ministry stated in a notice dated April 23, 2025. The document lays out safety measures for individuals involved in home or informal slaughtering, a routine practice in both urban and rural parts of the country where access to formal facilities may be limited.

According to the advisory, animals should only be slaughtered at approved slaughterhouses under the supervision of veterinary professionals. For those conducting slaughter outside such facilities, the ministry stressed the use of protective gear — gloves, rubber boots, plastic aprons, and face masks — to reduce direct contact with blood and animal tissue, which can carry the virus.

The ministry warned against allowing family members or bystanders to gather near the animal during slaughter or participate without proper protection. It also urged the safe disposal of animal waste in sealed bags and its transfer to designated disposal areas. Tools used in the slaughter, such as knives and cutting boards, should be cleaned thoroughly after each use, and areas contaminated with blood must be disinfected using chlorine-based solutions.

Meat from freshly slaughtered animals should be refrigerated for at least 30 minutes at a temperature of four to eight degrees Celsius before being consumed, the ministry advised. Frozen meat, it added, poses no health risk. In cases where animals appear ill or infected with parasites, slaughter should be avoided entirely.

Hemorrhagic fever is a viral infection transmitted through contact with infected animals or their meat, as well as through tick bites. The disease has become a recurring concern in Iraq, especially in agricultural regions where human-animal contact is frequent. The Ministry of Health called on the public to follow the recommendations strictly to help prevent further infections.

As of April 2025, the Ministry of Health reported 22 infections and three deaths across the country. The most recent fatality was confirmed in Muthanna governorate. Earlier in the month, Kirkuk recorded the first two deaths of the year — a 30-year-old butcher from Daquq district and a nurse — both of whom died after being treated at Kirkuk General Teaching Hospital.