Diyala records first death from hemorrhagic fever as health teams intensify inspections

DIYALA — Authorities in Diyala governorate announced Monday the first recorded death from hemorrhagic fever as efforts intensify to contain the disease.

A local source told 964media that the victim was a 43-year-old butcher from the Bahriz subdistrict south of Baqubah, who had been admitted to the hospital a day earlier.

On Saturday, health officials in Jalawla, north of Diyala, confirmed the first case of hemorrhagic fever in the area involving a 35-year-old meat distributor. The patient was transferred to Baqubah General Hospital, where he remains under treatment in the isolation ward designated for infectious diseases.

Mohammed Ghadhban, director of Diyala’s Veterinary Hospital, told 964media, “We recorded the first confirmed case of hemorrhagic fever in Jalawla for a 35-year-old meat distributor. After symptoms appeared, he was immediately transferred to Baqubah General Hospital, where he is receiving treatment and medical care in the designated isolation ward.”

In response, health and veterinary teams launched an intensive inspection campaign that resulted in the destruction of about 100 kilograms of unfit meat and the closure of a butcher shop for violating official slaughtering regulations.

The Iraqi Ministry of Health announced last Thursday that the number of hemorrhagic fever cases nationwide had risen to 26, including four deaths.