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N. Korea Prepares Aid for 800 Families Suffering From Intestinal Illness

by Reuters

   seoul --

   North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and other senior officials prepared aid
   to send to 800 families suffering from an unidentified intestinal
   ailment, state media reported Friday, as the country also battles its
   first COVID-19 outbreak.

   North Korea revealed this week that it was facing an "acute enteric
   epidemic" on top of a weekslong outbreak of COVID-19. It did not
   elaborate about what the disease was, but enteric refers to the
   gastrointestinal tract.

   "The officials ... prepared medicines, foodstuff and daily necessities
   needed for the treatment of the epidemic and stable life to render aid
   to the people in Haeju City and Kangryong County [of South Hwanghae
   province]," the Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

   Kim called upon officials "to fulfil their duty in the work for easing
   the people's misfortune and sufferings as soon as possible."

   On Thursday, an official at South Korea's Unification Ministry handling
   inter-Korean affairs said Seoul was monitoring the outbreak, suspected
   to be cholera or typhoid.

   South Hwanghae province is North Korea's key agricultural region, and
   the outbreak raised concerns that it may add to chronic food shortages
   amid the wave of COVID-19 infections.

   North Korea has been reporting patient numbers with fever symptoms,
   rather than confirmed COVID-19 cases, possibly because of a lack of
   testing ability.

   KCNA on Friday reported 23,160 more people with fever symptoms,
   bringing the total number in the country since late April to over 4.58
   million. The death toll linked to the outbreak is at 73.

   The North has said more than 99% of fever patients have recovered and
   that the COVID-19 wave has shown signs of subsiding, but the World
   Health Organization cast doubts on Pyongyang's claims earlier this
   month, saying it believes the situation is getting worse.