A flu outbreak has swept through North Korea, killing four people and sickening tens of thousands this winter, a Red Cross report states.
The country has requested for humanitarian assistance, with its health ministry informing the World Health Organization that there have been 81,640 confirmed cases of H1N1 — also called bird flu — in North Korea between December 1, 2017 and January 16, 2018. So far, three children and one adult have died as a result of the virus, UPI reports.
Of the 126,574 suspected cases, close to 53% were among adults over the age of 17, 24.5% were children under seven years old, and 23% were children between the ages of eight and 16.
The Red Cross report adds that the flu outbreak has spread throughout the nation, with 29% of all cases concentrated in Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
To address the outbreak, the North Korean government is now focused on decreasing mortality, vaccinating those deemed high-risk, and launching awareness campaigns. There are also talks of closing schools and isolating those infected with the virus to prevent further infection.
Pyongyang officials briefed the International Federation of the Red Cross, along with the WHO and other United Nations agencies on the situation and its progression. The IFRC and the Red Cross Society based in North Korea discussed on Thursday how to contain and treat the highly transmittable virus, especially in Pyongyang where the Red Cross does not have ongoing efforts for disease prevention.
Pyongyang has asked the WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund to provide scholastic support and other precautionary measures. As a response, the WHO has dispatched 35,000 tablets to healthcare workers on the frontline, and to vulnerable communities.
The WHO and UNICEF have not publicly commented on the request, but they, along with these international health organizations, will determine if North Korea will require further support from the IFRC Disaster Relief Emergency Fund.
