Iraq is in the midst of an outbreak of a fever that causes people to bleed to death, according to local media reports.

The disease called the Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever has claimed 19 deaths among 111 cases this year, according to the World Health Organization.

The disease has been spreading rapidly in the Iraqi countryside, with the southern province alon recording half of the country’s cases.

According to medics, the virus causes severe bleeding both internally and externally and especially from the nose. As many as two-fifths of the cases die.

"The number of cases recorded is unprecedented," Haidar Hantouche, a health official in Dhi Qar province told the AFP.

The surge in cases this year has shocked officials, since numbers far exceed recorded cases in the 43 years since the virus was first documented in Iraq in 1979.

What do we know about the disease?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), CCHF is caused by infection with a tick-borne virus.

The disease was first found in Crimea in 1944 and given the name Crimean hemorrhagic fever. It was then later recognized in 1969 as the cause of illness in the Congo, thus resulting in the current name of the disease.

It is endemic in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Balkans.

"Animals become infected by the bite of infected ticks," said the&nbsp;WHO.

"The CCHF virus is transmitted to people either by tick bites or through contact with infected animal blood or tissues during and immediately after slaughter," it added.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), CCHF's fatality rate is between 10 per cent and 40 per cent.

Is there any preventive cure?

The virus has no vaccine and its onset can be swift. CDC said the long-term effects of CCHF infection have not been studied well enough in survivors to determine whether or not specific complications exist. However, recovery is slow.

Main targets—farmers, veterinarians

Since the virus is "primarily transmitted" to people via ticks on livestock, most cases are among farmers, slaughterhouse workers and veterinarians, the WHO says.

"Human-to-human transmission can occur resulting from close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected persons," it adds.

Alongside uncontrolled bleeding, the virus causes intense fever and vomiting.

Medics fear there may be an explosion of cases following the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha in July, when families traditionally slaughter an animal to feed guests.

Slaughterhouses take a hit

The virus has also adversely affected meat consumption in the country, with many butchers saying cattle arriving for slaughter has fallen to half normal levels. "People are afraid of red meat and think it can transmit infection," said Fares Mansour, Director of Najaf Veterinary Hospital.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

Iraq is in the midst of an outbreak of a fever that causes people to bleed to death, according to local media reports. The disease called the Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever has claimed 19 deaths among 111 cases this year, according to the World Health Organization.

Iraq is in the midst of an outbreak of a fever that causes people to bleed to death, according to local media reports. The disease called the Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever has claimed 19 deaths among 111 cases this year, according to the World Health Organization. The disease has been spreading rapidly in the Iraqi countryside, with the southern province alon recording half of the country’s cases. According to medics, the virus causes severe bleeding both internally and externally and especially from the nose. As many as two-fifths of the cases die. "The number of cases recorded is unprecedented," Haidar Hantouche, a health official in Dhi Qar province told the AFP. The surge in cases this year has shocked officials, since numbers far exceed recorded cases in the 43 years since the virus was first documented in Iraq in 1979. What do we know about the disease? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), CCHF is caused by infection with a tick-borne virus. The disease was first found in Crimea in 1944 and given the name Crimean hemorrhagic fever. It was then later recognized in 1969 as the cause of illness in the Congo, thus resulting in the current name of the disease. It is endemic in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Balkans. "Animals become infected by the bite of infected ticks," said the WHO. "The CCHF virus is transmitted to people either by tick bites or through contact with infected animal blood or tissues during and immediately after slaughter," it added. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), CCHF's fatality rate is between 10 per cent and 40 per cent. Is there any preventive cure? The virus has no vaccine and its onset can be swift. CDC said the long-term effects of CCHF infection have not been studied well enough in survivors to determine whether or not specific complications exist. However, recovery is slow. Main targets—farmers, veterinarians Since the virus is "primarily transmitted" to people via ticks on livestock, most cases are among farmers, slaughterhouse workers and veterinarians, the WHO says. "Human-to-human transmission can occur resulting from close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected persons," it adds. Alongside uncontrolled bleeding, the virus causes intense fever and vomiting. Medics fear there may be an explosion of cases following the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha in July, when families traditionally slaughter an animal to feed guests. Slaughterhouses take a hit The virus has also adversely affected meat consumption in the country, with many butchers saying cattle arriving for slaughter has fallen to half normal levels. "People are afraid of red meat and think it can transmit infection," said Fares Mansour, Director of Najaf Veterinary Hospital. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Iraq seeing outbreak of nose-bleed fever. Here’s what we know about the deadly disease

<div style="text-align: justify;">Chinese authorities are investigating playing fields at some of Beijing&#39;s top elementary schools after children reportedly fell sick from exposure to artificial turf. 
 
Youngsters suffered from nose bleeds and allergic reactions after they used&nbsp;running tracks&nbsp;in the latest health scare to rock a country where safety standards are a major concern. 
 
The news came&nbsp;less than two months after reports that hundreds of students were&nbsp;sickened elsewhere in China because of their school&#39;s proximity to shuttered chemical plants. 
 
The Beijing probe, which began last week, sparked a wave of anxiety online, with hundreds questioning&nbsp;the country&#39;s commitment to protect&nbsp;one of its most valuable assets: its youth. 
 
The reports are a &quot;nightmare&quot;, said one comment on China&#39;s popular social media platform Weibo. 
 
&quot;Where is the Chinese dream for those children?&quot; it asked. 
 
Toxic air and poisoned food already create dilemmas for Chinese concerned about their children&#39;s health. 
 
Frequent reports of early onset cancer and respiratory ailments create a climate of fear for parents, many of whom who have only one child thanks to China&#39;s once strict birthing policies. 
 
The Beijing cases are particularly unsettling because they have occurred at schools attended by children of the capital&#39;s well-to-do. 
 
&quot;If Beijing is like this, it&#39;s even harder to imagine those campus fields in other cities,&quot; one commenter wrote. 
 
In April, news outlets reported that almost 500 students were sickened after a top middle school relocated to a site close to decommissioned chemicals factories. 
 
An undisclosed number of young people were diagnosed with leukaemia and lymphoma, both diseases often linked to pollution exposure. 
 
In Beijing, authorities have vowed to deal with the issue and plan to release a report on the materials used to build the track next week. 
 
In the meantime, a team of six doctors have&nbsp;been dispatched to check into any health effects, a statement from a Beijing education office said. 
 
The reassurances left commenters unmoved. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s no use to punish severely the school or the construction team,&quot; one commenter said.</div>

Some of Beijing's top elementary schools had children complain of nose bleeds and allergic reactions after using running tracks

Chinese authorities are investigating playing fields at some of Beijing's top elementary schools after children reportedly fell sick from exposure to artificial turf. Youngsters suffered from nose bleeds and allergic reactions after they used running tracks in the latest health scare to rock a country where safety standards are a major concern. The news came less than two months after reports that hundreds of students were sickened elsewhere in China because of their school's proximity to shuttered chemical plants. The Beijing probe, which began last week, sparked a wave of anxiety online, with hundreds questioning the country's commitment to protect one of its most valuable assets: its youth. The reports are a "nightmare", said one comment on China's popular social media platform Weibo. "Where is the Chinese dream for those children?" it asked. Toxic air and poisoned food already create dilemmas for Chinese concerned about their children's health. Frequent reports of early onset cancer and respiratory ailments create a climate of fear for parents, many of whom who have only one child thanks to China's once strict birthing policies. The Beijing cases are particularly unsettling because they have occurred at schools attended by children of the capital's well-to-do. "If Beijing is like this, it's even harder to imagine those campus fields in other cities," one commenter wrote. In April, news outlets reported that almost 500 students were sickened after a top middle school relocated to a site close to decommissioned chemicals factories. An undisclosed number of young people were diagnosed with leukaemia and lymphoma, both diseases often linked to pollution exposure. In Beijing, authorities have vowed to deal with the issue and plan to release a report on the materials used to build the track next week. In the meantime, a team of six doctors have been dispatched to check into any health effects, a statement from a Beijing education office said. The reassurances left commenters unmoved. "It's no use to punish severely the school or the construction team," one commenter said.

China probes artificial turfs in schools after students fall ill

nose-bleeds

Nose Bleeds, News on Nose Bleeds, stories on Nose Bleeds, articles on Nose Bleeds, Nose Bleeds stories at Wion, Nose Bleeds news, Nose Bleeds latest news