North Korea, which for a large time remained insulated from the global COVID-19 outbreak, began reporting cases this year. The country took extreme measures to contain the outbreak, and the vaccine-hesitant nation even took to vaccination.
Now it appears that the hermit kingdom is left combating another infectious disease outbreak.
An acute enteric epidemic has broken out in the South Hwanghae Province, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un on Thursday distributed his family reserve medicine in the southeastern city of Haeju, the official Korean Central News Agency reported.
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The report, however, did not name the exact nature of the outbreak or the magnitude of the incidence. It is widely speculated that it could be any of the infectious diseases such as typhoid, cholera, dysentery and intestinal infections. Occasional outbreaks are not uncommon in North Korea, where sanitation and healthcare is found grossly wanting.
Reports, citing North Korea's Rodong Sinmun newspaper, said Kim and his wide Ri Sol-ju, were personally supervising the distribution of the donated medicines in Haeju.
The action was hailed by the KCNA report, which said Kim has devoted himself to the people and realizes that "there is no emergency more serious than the people's pain and there is no revolutionary work more important than easing the people's misfortune."
Publicizing of Kim's benevolence is seen by media watchers as efforts to further enhance the image of Kim as an empathetic leader.
Photo: Created with an image from Prachatai on Flickr
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