FAO – Iraq Organized a Technical Workshop on the Crimean –Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) under the Theme of “One Health”

The CCHF had been an emerging zoonotic disease – defined as a disease that passes from an animal or insect to a human - in Iraq since 1979. The workshop focused on strengthening the participant's understanding of CCHF as a severe viral hemorrhagic fever transmitted by ticks. It has been responsible for several deaths in humans, whereas it doesn’t affect the hosts, mostly cows, sheep, and goats. The name of the disease refers to the places where it was first recognized as a viral disease. The CCHF workshop kicked off strong collaboration between the Government of Iraq, the technical colleges and the UN agencies under the theme of “One Health.”

"On this occasion, FAO expresses its gratitude to the Ministry of Health and Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture, in particular, the Central Public Health Laboratories for their diligent efforts in diagnosing the cause of the disease, also to the World Health Organization for their continuous support to the Ministry of Health and Environment. Mr. El-Zubi said. He added that FAO is currently seeking to develop an Arabic Early Warning System for Animal Diseases, which will help to provide accurate information on all types of animal diseases in Iraq and cooperation with the public and private sectors.

The workshop included a mix of expert panel discussions and breakout session activities. Participants included scientists, experts from UN agencies, academia, and private sector, as well as experts from the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health and Environment and other organizations interested in CCHF in particular. The Panelists discussion focused on the scope and scale of the CCHF as zoonoses disease and best practices and mitigation measures to eradicate this fever. Following the workshop and consultations, participants agreed on several mitigation measures to help eliminate the CCHF fever and to improve existing collaboration in support of “One Health.”