Adding to the woes of the isolated nation, Kim Jong-un-led North Korea has reported an outbreak of an unidentified intestinal epidemic in the western port city of Haeju.
What Happened: According to North Korea's state-owned media, the country's supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, sent medicines "prepared by his family" amid the outbreak of an 'acute enteric epidemic' in Haeju City of South Hwanghae Province.
The report did not provide the number of people affected or elaborate on what was the disease. Enteric refers to the gastrointestinal tract.
Kim Jong-un "stressed the need to contain the epidemic at the earliest date possible by taking a well-knit measure to quarantine the suspected cases to thoroughly curb its spread, confirming cases through epidemiological examination and scientific tests," KCNA reported.
A South Korea's Unification Ministry official handling inter-Korean affairs said the government is monitoring the outbreak, suspected to be cholera or typhoid.
The outbreak comes at a time when North Korea is already tackling challenges caused by its first reported outbreak of COVID-19 infections.
According to Reuters, South Korea's spy agency earlier told lawmakers that waterborne diseases, such as typhoid, were already widespread in the secretive nation way before it announced the coronavirus outbreak.
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