Two children confirmed with hemorrhagic fever in Iraq's Nineveh

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Health authorities in Nineveh province confirmed laboratory tests showing hemorrhagic fever in two 10-year-old children, one from central Mosul and the other from the eastern Baashiqa subdistrict, the provincial health directorate said. An official said blood samples taken from the children, who were hospitalized as suspected cases in early July, were analyzed at the Central Public Health Laboratory in Baghdad and returned positive results. One child is from the July 17 neighborhood in Mosul, while the second is from Baashiqa. Both patients were transferred to Al-Shifa Hospital in Mosul under the applied health protocol, according to the directorate. The provincial health official also said hemorrhagic fever cases have risen across Nineveh in recent weeks. Health and veterinary teams have stepped up inspections at the district and subdistrict levels, monitoring livestock markets and cattle movements to prevent the spread of the disease, the official added. No further details on the patients' conditions were immediately available.