Iraq reports 119 hemorrhagic fever cases, 18 deaths

BAGHDAD, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Iraq registered up to 119 cases of viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHF), including 18 deaths, since the beginning of this year, the Iraqi Ministry of Health said on Thursday.

The ministry's spokesman Sayf al-Badr told the official Iraqi News Agency that 35 of the detected VHF cases were registered in the southern Dhi Qar province, followed by Basra with 18 cases, and the rest are spread across the other provinces.

Al-Badr added that six of the 18 deaths by the infectious disease were registered in Dhi Qar, followed by the southern province of al-Muthanna with three deaths.

The VHF is a group of diseases caused by different viruses, including Ebola, which affects multiple organ systems in the body and may cause fever and bleeding.

The Iraqi health ministry did not reveal which virus led to the recent cases.