ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Over 100 people were admitted to Halabja Emergency Teaching Hospital on the first day of Eid al-Adha on Friday with symptoms of food poisoning.

Farhan Hama Khan, head of the media department at the Halabja Health Directorate, told The New Region that "ninety patients visited the emergency hospital in Halabja, and four patients were transferred to Sulaimani due to their critical health conditions."

The New Region learned that the number of food poisoning hospitalizations increased to over 100 by 9 PM on Friday.

Many of the patients in question complained of stomach pain and other symptoms related to food poisoning, with communal meals and overindulgence in food and drink during Eid al-Adha gatherings posing a health risk for celebrants.

Muslims in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region typically mark the occasion with large feasts consisting of calorie-dense meals and an abundance of confectionery and sweet drinks, with large gatherings of families and friends increasing the likelihood of illness should food be improperly prepared.

Eid al-Adha is one of the two Islamic holidays, falling in the final month of the Islamic calendar and being widely celebrated across the Muslim word, with the occasion being a public holiday in Iraq.