Dhi Qar records 101 hemorrhagic fever cases, 8 deaths in 2026

DHI QAR, Iraq — The head of Dhi Qar provincial council's Health and Environment Committee, Ahmed al-Haffaj, said on Monday that the southern Iraqi province had recorded 101 confirmed hemorrhagic fever cases and 8 deaths from complications since the start of the year, as of June 29, 2026. Al-Haffaj said local authorities lack the capacity to respond across the province's large geography, citing shortfalls in veterinary hospital vehicles, specialist staff and, most acutely, pesticides used to control tick populations. He called on the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Agriculture to step up support for Dhi Qar and release urgent funding to procure medication from the local market. Iraq's Ministry of Health had reported on May 9 that 145 confirmed cases and 9 deaths had been recorded nationwide since the beginning of the year. Hemorrhagic fever, primarily Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, has been present in Iraq since 1979 and is transmitted to humans mainly through tick bites and direct contact with infected animals, causing varying numbers of cases and fatalities each year.