Iraq’s Ministry of Health said Sunday it had recorded 270 laboratory-confirmed cases of hemorrhagic fever and 17 deaths nationwide since the start of 2026.

Health Ministry spokesman Saif al-Badr said the epidemiological report for week 28 recorded 26 new confirmed cases and no deaths. Basra reported the most new infections with 10, followed by Nineveh with five, Dhi Qar and Baghdad with three each, Maysan and Diyala with two each, and Diwaniyah with one.

Dhi Qar has the highest cumulative total, with 109 confirmed cases and eight deaths, followed by Basra with 24 cases and one death, Maysan with 21 cases, Muthanna with 19 cases and one death, Nineveh with 16, Diyala with 15 cases and one death, and Baghdad with 14 cases and one death. Wasit and Babil have recorded 13 cases each and two deaths each. The remaining governorates reported single-digit case counts.

Hemorrhagic fever is a recurring seasonal concern in Iraq, peaking in warmer months when livestock contact increases and animal trading and slaughtering become more frequent. By late September 2025, the cumulative toll for that year had reached 296 confirmed cases and 42 deaths.