New Crimean-Congo fever case confirmed in Duhok
Cabinet formation needed despite 'illegitimate' parliament: Komal leader
Canada opens business council to enhance cooperation with Erbil, Baghdad: Ambassador
Energy deals with US to boost industrial, economic growth: KRG official
KDP accuses 'some' in Baghdad of eroding federalism, using salaries for leverage
A+ A-
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Region's health ministry confirmed on Tuesday a new case of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) in the northern Duhok province.
'A 28 year-old resident of Batifa district in [Duhok's] Zakho area, who works as a livestock farmer and had contact with animals,' developed symptoms of CCHF, the ministry said in a statement.
'Several diagnostic procedures and medical treatments have been undertaken,' the statement added, noting that the patient is currently under medical supervision and his condition is stable.
The ministry further urged anyone working with animals to seek immediate medical attention if they experience symptoms related to the disease.
This is the fifth confirmed CCHF case in the Kurdistan Region this year. Previously, two cases - including one fatal - were reported in Duhok province, one in Koya, and another individual originally from Basra tested positive in Erbil.
CCHF is a highly infectious viral disease transmitted through multiple routes, including bites from infected ticks, contact with blood or tissues of infected animals, exposure to bodily fluids of infected persons, and consumption of raw or undercooked meat from infected livestock.
As of early May, Iraq had reported 53 confirmed infections and seven deaths, according to Riyadh al-Halfi, director general of the Public Health Directorate at the federal health ministry.
Preventive measures continue to be implemented, including the use of protective gear such as gloves, masks, and goggles, especially for those handling animals or meat. Veterinary hospitals have also launched large-scale tick control campaigns since late April.
The Iraqi government stated in April that it is 'exerting full efforts' to contain the outbreak, reassuring citizens that 'with proper measures in place, transmission to citizens will remain rare.' The federal health ministry urged caution when handling meat, recommending the use of protective gloves and separate utensils for raw meat.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Iraqi News
39 minutes ago
- Iraqi News
US urges Iraq to hold accountable those responsible for attacks on oil facilities
Baghdad ( – In a phone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized the necessity of holding responsible those involved in the recent attacks on Iraq's energy infrastructure. Rubio also emphasized the need to take measures to prevent future attacks, according to a statement released by the US Department of State. Spokesperson of the US State Department Tammy Bruce said in a press briefing on Thursday that the US firmly opposes the drone assaults, which have been targeting oil sites in the Kurdistan region of Iraq since July 14. These attacks threaten Iraq's stability and economic future, according to Bruce. The US official noted that the Iraqi government is responsible for protecting its land and all of its residents. These strikes are aimed at multinational corporations that collaborate with Iraq to invest in Iraq's future. Bruce added that the US remains committed to its partners in Iraq, who are working to establish a stable, federal, and sovereign state. Multiple incidents of mysterious drone attacks on energy infrastructure in recent weeks have sparked domestic and international alarm about the emergence of security tensions, which might harm the Iraqi economy and reconstruction efforts.
Rudaw Net
an hour ago
- Rudaw Net
UK smuggling sanctions target 10 individuals from Iraq, Kurdistan
Also in Iraq Iraq eyeing 'sustainable' diversification away from oil: PM advisor Diyala council seeks to block Qaratapa district upgrade Iraq's ruling coalition condemns drone attacks on Kurdistan Region Iraqi parliament fails to discuss drone attacks on Kurdistan Region A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Ten Iraqi nationals, including individuals from the Kurdistan Region, were sanctioned under a new United Kingdom sanctions regime targeting smuggling networks, the British consulate in Erbil said on Wednesday. The UK announced on Tuesday the launch of what it described as the world's first sanctions regime specifically aimed at smuggling gangs and their facilitators. 'The first designations under the regime, announced today, include 10 Iraqi nationals who have been exploiting and endangering vulnerable people, including from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and threatening the security of the UK and the KRI [Kurdistan Region of Iraq],' the UK consulate general in Erbil said in a statement seen by Rudaw. 'These sanctions are part of a wider effort, in coordination with international partners, including the KRG [Kurdistan Regional Government], to stop this cruel trade and promote regional and international stability,' it added. The new Global Irregular Migration and Trafficking in Persons (GIM) sanctions target individuals and organizations involved in smuggling and trafficking worldwide, including those who fund or enable such activities. Measures include travel bans, asset freezes, and restrictions on access to the UK's financial system. With these sanctions, the UK government does not have to rely on criminal or counter-terrorism laws. They require less evidence and do not involve the apprehension of the suspect. Criminal law also takes effect after a crime has been committed, while sanctions serve as a proactive tool to disrupt criminal activity and publicize the individuals involved. 'For too long, criminal gangs have been lining their corrupt pockets and preying on the hopes of vulnerable people with impunity as they drive irregular migration to the UK. We will not accept this status quo,' UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a statement on Tuesday. 'That's why the UK has created the world's first sanctions regime targeted at gangs involved in people smuggling and driving irregular migration, as well as their enablers,' he added. The BBC reported the announcement following a protest outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in southeast England's Essex county. The protest was triggered by the arrest of an asylum seeker for alleged sexual assault. It also reported that around two dozen names of the first batch of targeted individuals will be announced. Per the UK consulate general's statement, it is clear that ten of the individuals are Iraqi nationals, including from the Kurdistan Region. AFP released the identities of some of them, including several with Kurdish names. 'The first targets will cover a range of wrongdoing, from the supply of small boats being used on cross-Channel journeys, to the trade in fake passports, as well as middlemen facilitating payments through Hawala networks, to the gang leaders themselves,' the British government's statement said. Hawala networks are an informal and trust-based system for transferring money across borders without physical transfer of money. Separately, the UK has signed a 'one in, one out' agreement with France, allowing the return of illegal migrants arriving from France in exchange for accepting a set number of legal asylum seekers from France subject to security checks, according to the BBC. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also recently reached agreements with France and Germany aimed at curbing the arrival of small boats. Thousands of people from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region take on perilous routes towards Europe on a yearly basis in hopes of escaping unemployment, political instability, and corruption. The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) has previously worked with the KRG against organized crime. 'We maintain a positive relationship with law enforcement partners in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and work with them against a range of shared threats, including organised immigration crime," a spokesperson for the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) press office told Rudaw in November 2024. Kurdish criminal groups control the increasingly lucrative cross-Channel migration routes, according to the NCA, which said in its 2023 assessment that the groups are mainly based in northern Europe. Also in November last year, a French court sentenced 18 people, mostly Kurds from the Kurdistan Region, to prison terms of up to 15 years for operating a smuggling network that transported people across the English Channel. In May 2024, Kurdish police in Sulaimani arrested a Kurdish man accused of heading an organized crime group that smuggled people into the UK. The regime was previously outlined by foreign minister David Lammy in January.
Rudaw Net
4 hours ago
- Rudaw Net
Rubio tells Sudani important to pay KRG salaries 'consistently'
Also in World Brawl breaks out between pro-Damascus, Kurdish rallies in Germany's Dusseldorf US encourages Iraq to end tensions with Kurdistan Region US orders return of Baghdad embassy, Erbil consulate staff US says attacks on Kurdistan Region 'unacceptable' A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, emphasizing the importance of ensuring uninterrupted salary payments to civil servants in the Kurdistan Region. Rubio also conveyed Washington's concerns regarding a pending bill in the Iraqi parliament that seeks to further institutionalize pro-Iranian militia groups, a State Department spokesperson said on Wednesday. The phone call came just hours after the Iraqi government decided to resume the payment of the salaries of public employees in the Kurdistan Region after nearly three months of suspension due to financial disputes with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). 'The Secretary noted the importance of paying Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR) salaries consistently,' read a statement from State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce. Sudani's office has yet to comment on the phone call. Tensions between Baghdad and Erbil escalated in late May when the federal finance ministry suspended transfers, accusing the KRG of exceeding its 12.67 percent share of the federal budget and failing to deliver the agreed oil volumes to Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO). The freeze affected more than 1.2 million public sector employees in the Kurdistan Region. Last week, the federal and regional governments reached a new deal over financial and oil disputes following the failure of several similar deals in the past. The Iraqi government approved the agreement during a cabinet meeting and decided to resume the disbursement of the salaries of KRG's civil servants on Tuesday. The payment will only cover the month of May, and the disbursement of salaries for the remaining months will depend on how the agreement is implemented moving forward. The Erbil-Baghdad agreement also includes the resumption of KRG's oil exports. The process has been halted since March 2023 when a Paris-based arbitration court ruled in favor of Baghdad against Ankara, saying the latter had violated the 1973 pipeline agreement by allowing Erbil to begin exporting oil independently in 2014. Under the agreement, the KRG must export its entire oil output through Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO), keeping 50,000 barrels daily for local use. In return, Baghdad is expected to make budget transfers and provide refined fuel if needed. The KRG is also obligated to hand over 120 billion Iraqi dinars (nearly $92 million) in non-oil revenues monthly for May. Washington has been pressuring Erbil and Baghdad to resume the Kurdish oil exports. Rubio told Sudani during the phone call that it is also important to resume the flow of the Kurdish oil to international markets through the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline, Bruce said in the statement. Kurdistan Region has come under nearly 20 drone attacks, including strikes on its oil fields, in recent weeks. The KRG has blamed Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi) for the drone attacks, a charge Baghdad has denied. The drones were seen by many as a pressure tactic by pro-Iran groups on the Kurdish government to make compromises to the federal government during negotiations over the resumption of the KRG's oil exports. The attacks have stopped since both governments finalized the agreement on Thursday. The Rubio-Sudani phone call focused on the drone attacks. Some of the targeted sites are operated by US companies. Rubio 'stressed the importance of the Iraqi government holding the perpetrators accountable and preventing future attacks,' Bruce noted in her statement. The attacks have been condemned internationally and locally, including by the US, UK and UN. The Iraqi government has launched an investigation into the strikes but has yet to announce the results. The federal parliament failed to discuss the matter on Monday after Kurdish lawmakers boycotted the session for unknown reasons. Rudaw has learned that some Kurdish parliamentarians feared that the Shiite factions could exploit the session to add a pending bill seeking more rights for the PMF members. The PMF was established in 2014 during the Islamic State group (ISIS) blitz, which saw the group seize control of large parts of Iraq's north and west. Although the PMF has been integrated into the security apparatus, the inclusion of some pro-Iran groups and their failure to answer to Sudani as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces has concerned Washington. The Iraqi government in February sent a bill to the parliament to further institutionalise the PMF, including retirement rights. 'The Secretary also reiterated serious U.S. concerns with the Popular Mobilization Commission (PMC) bill currently pending in the Council of Representatives (COR), emphasizing that any such legislation would institutionalize Iranian influence and armed terrorist groups undermining Iraq's sovereignty,' Bruce said. Rubio later said on X that he told Sudani that he desires to see an Iraq 'free of Iran's pernicious influence." Spoke with Iraqi PM Sudani about the recent attacks against oil companies in Iraq, including U.S. companies. We support a prosperous Iraq, free of Iran's pernicious influence. — Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) July 23, 2025 Iran is believed to have many proxy groups in Iraq, which it has used in the past to target US interests in the region. Washington has taken several measures to ensure that Baghdad is free of Tehran's influence, including the termination of a waiver which had allowed Iraq to buy Iranian electricity for years.
