Kirkuk launches a preventive campaign against CCHF

Shafaq News- Kirkuk

The Teaching Veterinary Hospital in Kirkuk on Tuesday launched a preventive campaign as part of preparations for the seasonal spread of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), carrying out disinfection operations at slaughterhouses, animal markets, and livestock barns across several areas of the province.

Mansour Ahmed al-Bayati, the hospital’s director, told Shafaq News that the campaign affiliated veterinary clinics under a preventive plan aimed at limiting the spread of epidemic diseases, particularly hemorrhagic fever, as temperatures rise and livestock movement increases.

Al-Bayati said the teams disinfected Kirkuk’s modern slaughterhouse and animal holding areas, in addition to livestock barns in al-Wataniya village and several other villages, districts, and subdistricts across the province. He explained that the preventive measures target insects and parasites that transmit diseases and aim to maintain healthy conditions to ensure the safety of meat sold in local markets and protect residents from diseases transmitted between animals and humans.

According to Shafaq News monitoring, Kirkuk has recorded one case of hemorrhagic fever since the beginning of 2026, while the province registered five deaths out of six reported infections in 2025.

Read more: Blood, ticks, and broken systems: The resurgence of CCHF in Iraq