Latest news with #SamanYaba
Shafaq News
02-07-2025
- Health
- Shafaq News
Dust storm leaves over 100 hospitalized in Kirkuk
Shafaq News – Kirkuk A fierce dust storm sweeping through Kirkuk on Tuesday sent over a hundred people to hospitals with breathing difficulties, Iraqi health authorities confirmed. Saman Yaba, spokesperson for the province's Health Directorate, told Shafaq News that 109 people suffered respiratory distress and were treated across local hospitals. 'All medical facilities were on full alert,' he confirmed, noting that most patients recovered after receiving prompt care. The storm, which began early Tuesday, intensified throughout the day and sparked widespread discomfort—particularly among residents with chronic respiratory conditions.
Shafaq News
13-05-2025
- Climate
- Shafaq News
Hit hard by dust storm: 50+ respiratory cases reported
Shafaq News/ A dust storm swept across Kirkuk province and its surrounding districts, leaving around 50 people suffering from respiratory distress, Iraqi health officials reported on Tuesday. In a statement to Shafaq News, Saman Yaba, spokesperson for the Kirkuk Health Directorate, confirmed that most cases were classified as mild to moderate. Patients also received first aid in emergency units at hospitals across the city, with medical teams remaining on alert for a possible rise in cases. The most affected groups, he added, included the elderly and individuals with chronic respiratory conditions. Dust storms have covered large parts of Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, since early Tuesday. Visibility dropped to less than one kilometre in several western areas due to dense airborne particles. Authorities urged residents to stay indoors, wear protective masks, and avoid direct exposure to the dust. By evening, the Iraqi General Authority of Meteorology and Seismology reported improved visibility across central and western provinces. However, satellite imagery showed the dust mass continuing eastward and southeastward, reaching areas such as Basra. Forecasts for Wednesday indicate a gradual easing of conditions. Heavier dust concentrations are expected in western and southwestern parts of the country, while other regions may experience lighter effects. Rain remains in the forecast overnight and into Wednesday across western al-Anbar, northern Nineveh, Duhok, northern Erbil, and parts of al-Sulaymaniyah.
Rudaw Net
05-05-2025
- Climate
- Rudaw Net
Around 550 hospitalized across Iraq due to intense dust storm
Also in Iraq Seven dead, 53 infected with hemorrhagic fever across Iraq: Health ministry Iraqi defense ministry sues Kirkuk Kurdish farmer over insult allegation Halabja becomes Iraq's 19th province Turkmen MP urges end to Baghdad-Erbil trade restrictions, warns of empty markets A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Nearly 550 people have been hospitalized across Iraq on Monday as a severe dust storm swept through several provinces, causing widespread respiratory issues, health officials confirmed. In Kirkuk, 94 people were admitted to hospitals with dust-related complications, according to Saman Yaba, spokesperson for the province's health directorate. In the north-central Salahaddin province, around 55 people - primarily elderly individuals and those with pre-existing respiratory conditions - were transferred to local hospitals for treatment. Rudaw has learned that the number of affected persons in the province is expected to rise further as the storm continues. Meanwhile, in Diyala province, located in eastern Iraq, over 400 people were hospitalized due to respiratory distress. Faris al-Azzawi, spokesperson for the Diyala Health Department, told Rudaw that all medical institutions in the province are fully prepared to receive and treat additional patients. Earlier on Monday, Amer al-Jabri, spokesperson for Iraq's Meteorology and Seismology Directorate, reported that the dust storm is most intense in the central and western regions of Iraq,with a lesser impact anticipated in the north. He added that wind speeds could reach between 30 and 50 kilometers per hour, reducing visibility to as low as four kilometers. Dust storms are a recurring phenomenon in Iraq, but their frequency and severity have increased due to prolonged drought, desertification, and rising temperatures. According to Baghdad's environment ministry, Iraq has experienced an average of 272 dusty days per year over the past two decades - a figure projected to climb to 300 days annually by 2050. Iraq is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. Poor water management and dam construction in upstream nations have significantly reduced the flow of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, further exacerbating environmental degradation. The United Nations has called for urgent measures to combat Iraq's worsening climate crisis.
Rudaw Net
23-04-2025
- Health
- Rudaw Net
One dead in Kirkuk due to Congo fever
Also in Iraq Iraq, France FMs discuss regional stability, security ties Rising profile of Iraqi cardinal as papacy candidate stirs debate in Iraq Unfinished Stories: The Republic of Factions Former Kirkuk governor released on bail amid corruption charges A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A butcher lost his life in Kirkuk on Wednesday amid an outbreak of the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), a health official said, days after the disease claimed the lives of two people in the city. 'Today, a 52-year-old citizen, who was a butcher, died due to hemorrhagic fever,' Kirkuk health directorate spokesperson Saman Yaba told Rudaw. Yaba also confirmed that a 37-year-old nurse tested positive for the disease. 'She is currently under medical supervision,' he said. CCHF is a highly contagious virus that can be transmitted to humans through several routes, including contact with the blood or tissues of infected animals, bites from infected ticks, direct exposure to bodily fluids of infected individuals, and consumption of raw or undercooked meat from infected livestock. While some cases present with mild symptoms, the disease is frequently fatal. Severe symptoms may include internal bleeding, coma, and multi-organ failure affecting the liver, kidneys, and respiratory system. The World Health Organization estimates the fatality rate can reach up to 40%. CCHF has been endemic in Iraq since 1979, but has seen a resurgence since 2021, particularly in the southern provinces, raising public health concerns. At least 22 people across Iraq have been infected with CCHF since the beginning of the year, according to statistics from the health ministry released Wednesday, three of whom have died.
Rudaw Net
03-04-2025
- Climate
- Rudaw Net
Dust storm hospitalizes over 100 in Kirkuk
Also in Iraq Iraq has ten years of water security from Turkey: Ministry Iraq unaffected by new Trump tariffs: PM advisor Iraqi ministry says hundreds released daily under general amnesty law Iraqi parliament to vote on an anti-tobacco law next week: MP A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least 119 people were hospitalized in Kirkuk with breathing difficulties after a dust storm engulfed the province, a local health official said on Thursday. 'Those who were taken to the hospital due to breathing difficulties have received the necessary treatment, and no deaths have been recorded among them,' Kirkuk health directorate spokesperson Saman Yaba told Rudaw. Among the 119 affected people, 60 were from Kirkuk's southeastern Daquq district, according to Yaba. On Wednesday night, a dense dust storm engulfed Kirkuk, with winds from the southeast affecting Kirkuk province and Garmiyan administration in Sulaimani province, according to Mohammed Kamal, a meteorological and seismological forecaster in the Kurdistan Region. Kamal told Rudaw that the storm settled around 7:00 am. Dust storms are common in Iraq but have become more frequent due to drought, desertification, and rising temperatures. Iraq is among the countries most affected by climate change, with mismanagement of water resources and dam projects in upstream countries further reducing the flow of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The United Nations has warned that urgent action is needed to combat environmental degradation in Iraq. The number of dusty days in Iraq has increased from 243 to 272 per year over the past two decades, according to the environment ministry. By 2050, that number is expected to reach 300.
