North Korea has dispatched medical teams and epidemiological investigators to a province battling an outbreak of an unidentified intestinal disease, state media reported on Sunday.
At least 800 families suffering from what North Korea has called an “acute enteric epidemic” have received aid in South Hwanghae province so far. South Korean officials say it could be cholera or typhoid.
The new outbreak, first reported on Thursday, adds further pressure to the isolated country, which is struggling with chronic food shortages and a wave of Covid-19 infections.
On Sunday, state news agency KCNA detailed prevention efforts, including quarantines, “intensive screening for all residents” and special treatment and monitoring of vulnerable people such as children and the elderly.
A national “Rapid Diagnosis and Treatment Team” is working with local health authorities and steps are being taken to ensure that agriculture is not disrupted in the main agricultural area, KCNA said.
Disinfection work is being carried out, including treatment of sewage and other waste, to ensure the safety of drinking and domestic water, the report said.
Source: CNN Brasil
