BAGHDAD, April 24 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Health Ministry announced Thursday that the number of confirmed cases of hemorrhagic fever in the country has risen to 26 since the beginning of the year, with four fatalities.
The ministry's spokesman, Saif Al-Badr, said in a brief statement that the northern Kirkuk province recorded three fatalities, with the latest reported on Thursday, while another death was reported in the southern province of Muthanna.
The ministry did not reveal which virus led to the recent cases.
Hemorrhagic fevers can be caused by several different viruses and can lead to severe symptoms including internal bleeding and organ failure. Since the late 1970s, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever has been the most common tick-borne viral hemorrhagic fever in Iraq. The country has experienced recurring outbreaks of hemorrhagic fever since then.
