SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA -- North Korea on Thursday reported the eruption of another infectious disease in addition to its ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, saying leader Kim Jong Un has donated his private medicines to those stricken with the new disease.
It鈥檚 unclear how serious the new epidemic is, but some outside observers say North Korea likely aims to burnish Kim鈥檚 image as a leader caring about public livelihoods as he needs greater public support to overcome pandemic-related hardships.
Kim on Wednesday offered his family鈥檚 reserve medicines for those diagnosed with 鈥渁n acute enteric epidemic鈥� in the southwestern Haeju city, the official Korean Central News Agency reported. The North鈥檚 main Rodong Sinmun newspaper separately carried a front-page photo showing Kim and his wife Ri Sol Ju reviewing saline solutions and other medicines that they were donating.
KCNA didn鈥檛 elaborate on exactly what the epidemic is and how many people have been infected.
Some observers say the 鈥渁n enteric epidemic鈥� in North Korea refers to an infectious disease like typhoid, dysentery or cholera, which are intestinal illnesses caused by germs via contaminated food and water or contact with feces of infected people.
Such diseases routinely occur in North Korea, which lacks good water treatment facilities and whose public healthcare infrastructure largely remains broken since the mid-1990s.
After North Korea last month reported a rising number of patients with feverish symptoms following its admission of the coronavirus outbreak, South Korea鈥檚 spy agency said that 鈥渁 considerable number鈥� of those fever cases included those sick with diseases like measles, typhoid and pertussis.
鈥淭he outbreak of measles or typhoid isn鈥檛 uncommon in North Korea. I think it鈥檚 true there is an outbreak of an infectious disease there but North Korea is using it as an opportunity to emphasize that Kim is caring for his people,鈥� said Ahn Kyung-su, head of DPRKHEALTH.ORG, a website focusing on health issues in North Korea. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 more like a political message than medical one.鈥�
Last month, Kim already sent his family鈥檚 medicines to COVID-19 patients, according to state media reports.
KCNA said more than 4.5 million out of the country鈥檚 26 million people have fallen ill due to an unidentified fever but only 73 died. The country has identified only a fraction of those as confirmed coronavirus cases due to an apparent lack of test kits in the country. Many foreign experts question the North鈥檚 death toll, saying that鈥檚 likely underreported to protect Kim from any political damage.
During a ruling party conference last week, Kim claimed the pandemic situation has passed the stage of 鈥渟erious crisis." But the country still maintains elevated restrictions that some outside experts say will further strain the country鈥檚 already troubled economy hit by long-running pandemic-related border shutdowns and U.N. sanctions.
Later Thursday, South Korea鈥檚 Unification Ministry renewed its offer of inter-Korean cooperation on health and medical issues. After the North's admission of the COVID-19 outbreak, South Korea and the United States offered the humanitarian shipments of vaccines, medical supplies and other assistance, but the North hasn't responded.
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