{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T07:56:24Z","timestamp":1791186984298,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":12,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,26]],"date-time":"2026-08-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787702400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,26]],"date-time":"2026-08-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787702400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Health Science Reports"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,9]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Crimean\u2013Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) remains a significant zoonotic and public health threat in endemic regions, including Iraq, which has experienced repeated outbreaks over the past decade. Recent surveillance data suggest evolving transmission dynamics influenced by climatic variability, ecological conditions, and the intensity of public health interventions.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study aimed to describe the epidemiological trends of laboratory\u2010confirmed CCHF cases in Iraq from 2023 to 2025, characterize the distribution of cases across time and provinces, and assess the potential influence of seasonal factors and combined risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) interventions.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A descriptive ecological study was conducted using aggregated laboratory\u2010confirmed Crimean\u2013Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) surveillance data collected by the Iraqi Ministry of Health and supplemented with reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) and collaborating public health partners. Temporal and geographic distributions of confirmed cases reported during 2023\u20132025 were summarized descriptively. Public health response activities, including risk communication and community engagement (RCCE), vector control, laboratory strengthening, and clinical preparedness, were reviewed to provide epidemiological context. No analytical methods were performed to evaluate intervention effectiveness or infer causal relationships.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Although Iraq remains endemic for CCHF, a marked reduction in confirmed cases was observed in 2024 and 2025 compared with 2023. The decline was particularly evident during early transmission periods and coincided with delayed seasonal onset, increased rainfall, and the early implementation of coordinated multisectoral prevention campaigns initiated in 2024\/2025. Enhanced collaboration between human and veterinary health sectors, expanded laboratory diagnostic capacity, and intensified public awareness campaigns were temporally associated with this reduction.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The observed decline in CCHF burden during 2024\/2025 compared with 2023 coincided with intensified multisectoral interventions, particularly strengthened RCCE activities. These findings underscore the critical role of early, coordinated, and climate\u2010sensitive public health responses, as well as sustained RCCE strategies, in mitigating CCHF transmission in the absence of a licensed human vaccine. Continued cross\u2010sectoral collaboration among human, animal, and environmental health systems is essential to prevent future outbreaks in Iraq.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1002\/hsr2.73045","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T06:12:34Z","timestamp":1787811154000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Trends in Crimean\u2013Congo Hemorrhagic Fever in Iraq, 2023\u20132025: A Descriptive Ecological Study of National Surveillance Data and Public Health Response Activities"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"9","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8589-0345","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sirwan","family":"Sleman","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Veterinary Medicine University of Sulaimani Sulaymaniyah Iraq"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zaniar A.","family":"Abass","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Masi Altuni Company Sulaymaniyah Iraq"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Masood B.","family":"Ameen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sulaimani Private Veterinary Hospital Sulaymaniyah Iraq"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Omed I.","family":"Abid","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Masi Altuni Company Sulaymaniyah Iraq"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Barham J.","family":"Abdullah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sulaimani Private Veterinary Hospital Sulaymaniyah Iraq"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_16_2_1","article-title":"Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (WHO EMRO). Crimean\u2010Congo Haemorrhagic Fever: Regional Surveillance Update","author":"World Health Organization","year":"2025","journal-title":"Published 2025"},{"key":"e_1_2_16_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.antiviral.2013.07.006"},{"key":"e_1_2_16_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0004210"},{"key":"e_1_2_16_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/dairy2030034"},{"key":"e_1_2_16_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijid.2017.02.018"},{"key":"e_1_2_16_7_1","unstructured":"World Health OrganizationCrimean\u2010Congo Haemorrhagic Fever. Fact sheet. Published 2025 accessed July 2025 https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/crimean-congo-haemorrhagic-fever."},{"key":"e_1_2_16_8_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2018.00014"},{"key":"e_1_2_16_9_1","unstructured":"RUDAW \u201cIraq Records 16 New Cases of Crimean\u2010Congo Fever \u201d2025 https:\/\/www.rudaw.net\/english\/middleeast\/iraq\/210720251."},{"key":"e_1_2_16_10_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijregi.2025.100588"},{"key":"e_1_2_16_11_1","unstructured":"R.Herriman \u201cIraq: 178 Crimean\u2010Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Cases Reported in 2024 to Date \u201dOutbreak News Today (2024) https:\/\/outbreaknewstoday.substack.com\/p\/iraq-178-crimean-congo-hemorrhagic."},{"key":"e_1_2_16_12_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pt.2014.02.003"},{"key":"e_1_2_16_13_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.virs.2025.12.006"}],"container-title":["Health Science Reports"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1002\/hsr2.73045","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1002\/hsr2.73045","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1002\/hsr2.73045","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T07:44:14Z","timestamp":1791186254000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1002\/hsr2.73045"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,26]]},"references-count":12,"journal-issue":{"issue":"9","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,9]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1002\/hsr2.73045"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/hsr2.73045","archive":["Portico"],"relation":{},"ISSN":["2398-8835","2398-8835"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2398-8835","type":"print"},{"value":"2398-8835","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,26]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2026-01-06","order":0,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2026-08-06","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2026-08-26","order":3,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}],"article-number":"e73045"}}