Despot leader Kim Jong-un has been left scrambling for a cure after 126,574 citizens in the hermit kingdom were reported to have a flu-like disease between December 1 and January 16 – 81,640 cases tested positive for Influenza A/H1N1, also known as swine flu.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said: “The outbreak of influenza has been wide-spread in the country for more than a period of one month hence deployment of seasonal influenza vaccines to prevent the outbreak has a very limited role.
“Therefore proper case management with a view to preventing complications and mortality remains to be the priority action for this event.
“Identification of cases of influenza-like illness at the early stage with a focus on severe cases and high risk groups and their referral to hospitals for optimal management inclusive of administration of antiviral drugs is important.
“In view of ongoing severe winter, health workers dealing with influenza-like illness patients may be vaccinated with seasonal influenza vaccines for keeping health services functional and access to oseltamivir if they contact the infection needs to be ensured.”
In a desperate effort to ward off the disease, Pyongyang has asked for flu vaccine support for those with a high risk of taking on swine flu.
The WHO has given the rogue state 5,000 tablets to help quell the spread of Influenza – over half the number of cases reported are in residents older than 17.
The health body explained that it was working with North Korea to tackle the issue and has set up a “weekly reporting system” to keep track of cases.
The WHO went on: “The WHO Country Office is closely working with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to collect and conduct a detailed epidemiological analysis of reported influenza cases for assessing the factual epidemiological situation and deciding the appropriate scale of containment measures.
“A weekly reporting system has been established for facilitating the grading of the outbreak and monitoring the trend of transmission of influenza-like illness cases. The communication materials and guidelines for containment of seasonal influenza outbreak have been shared with the MoPH.”
An agricultural ministry spokesman declared: “The avian influenza virus we discovered at Hwaseong is highly pathogenic and spreads very fast.
“It reproduces continuously before symptoms appear in the hosts or before they die.”
Farm workers have been quarantined as part of a series of last-minute precautions to prevent cases of flu spreading to those visiting South Korea for the sporting spectacle.