North Korea sent relief to 800 households afflicted by an intestinal disease

North Korea sent relief to 800 households afflicted by an intestinal disease. 

State media said on Friday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and other top officials were preparing help to deliver to 800 families suffering from a mysterious intestinal illness as the nation also faces its first COVID-19 outbreak.

North Korea said this week that it was dealing with an “acute enteric epidemic” in addition to a COVID outbreak that has been going on for weeks. 

The illness was not specified, although enteric relates to the gastrointestinal system.

The Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) said that “officials… prepared medications, foodstuff, and everyday essentials required for the treatment of the epidemic and stable living to give help to the people in Haeju City and Kangryong County (of South Hwanghae Province).”

Officials were also urged to “fulfill their duties in the job of relieving the people’s sorrow and sufferings as quickly as possible,” according to the statement.

Seoul is monitoring the epidemic, which is thought to be cholera or typhoid, according to a South Korean official in charge of inter-Korean ties.

South Hwanghae Province is North Korea’s most important agricultural area. The epidemic has generated fears that the surge of COVID-19 infections may exacerbate chronic food shortages.

Due to a lack of testing capability, North Korea has reported patient numbers with fever symptoms rather than verified COVID cases.

On Friday, KCNA reported another 23,160 persons with fever symptoms, increasing the total number of people in the nation to almost 4.58 million since late April. 73 people have died as a result of the pandemic.

The North has claimed that more than 99 percent of fever patients have recovered and that the COVID outbreak is diminishing. Still, the World Health Organization questioned Pyongyang’s assertions earlier this month, claiming that the situation is worsening.