Baghdad, May 22 : The Iraqi Health Ministry has said up to 90 cases of viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) have been registered in Iraq, including 18 deaths. "There has been a serious increase in the VHF cases in Iraq recently, and the number of registered cases could rise further if some other suspected cases are confirmed," the Ministry's spokesman Sayf al-Badr said at a press conference on Saturday. The first VHF case was detected in Dhi Qar in April, and later more cases were discovered in several other provinces, he added. The VHFs are a group of diseases caused by different viruses, including the Ebola virus, which affects multiple organ systems in the body and may cause fever and bleeding, Xinhua news agency reported. The Iraqi Health Ministry has not revealed which virus has caused the recent cases. /IANS