Avian flu kills thousands of chickens in Iraq
Shafaq News – Nineveh
About 20,000 chickens died on Wednesday in Bashiqa near Mosul, after local authorities confirmed cases of avian influenza at two poultry farms.
Ghazwan al-Dawoodi, director of Bashiqa, told Shafaq News that a committee composed of environmental, veterinary, and health officials immediately moved to the affected farms to conduct sanitary burial of the birds. The infections were detected among flocks totaling 150,000 chickens.
“The team also began testing individuals who had contact with the infected birds to prevent the disease from spreading,” al-Dawoodi said, pointing out that local authorities have temporarily banned the entry of poultry and related products into the subdistrict and urged residents to refrain from buying live chickens until the situation is fully contained.
Iraq has experienced periodic avian flu outbreaks in recent years. In 2024, Saladin Province recorded its first case in several years, prompting a 15-kilometer quarantine zone around the affected area. Earlier this year, the national veterinary authority announced that Iraq was free of highly pathogenic avian influenza, though it continued to seize unlicensed poultry shipments lacking health certification.
The new avian flu infections come as Iraq continues to confront the spread of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), a tick-borne viral disease. By October, authorities had confirmed over 238 cases nationwide, including 36 deaths.
Southern provinces such as Dhi Qar remain among the hardest hit, while Nineveh, where Bashiqa is located, recorded 15 CCHF infections.
Health experts have warned that the simultaneous emergence of zoonotic diseases such as avian flu and CCHF highlights the pressure on Iraq’s veterinary and public health systems, particularly in rural and agricultural regions.
