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Measles outbreak in N Korea
01/03/2007 19:13 - (SA)
Seoul - More than 1 000 people remain hospitalised with measles following a November outbreak in impoverished North Korea, said an international aid group.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is set to launch an appeal for about $450 000 in donations to fund a vaccination campaign starting this month to help cope with the disease.
North Korean authorities have said the disease has killed four people since the outbreak started.
In a statement on Wednesday, the group said that as of Tuesday 1 013 measles patients have been admitted for treatment.
The measles has sickened about 3 000 people since the outbreak began in November, although the North did not inform international officials of the disease until last month.
The federation warned of the risk of more cases of measles.
'Serious consequences'
The group said: "A measles outbreak in a country like North Korea, where the overall health and nutritional status of the population has deteriorated in the recent past due to economic constraints and natural disasters coupled with the compromised health infrastructure, has serious consequences."
International aid groups led by the UN children's agency are hoping to start an immunisation campaign by March 15 for six million infants and children.
North Korea is one of the world's poorest countries, where famine starting in the 1990s caused by natural disasters and outdated farming methods led to the deaths of as many as two million people.
Leading cause of death
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease spread by airborne droplets circulated by coughing and sneezing, according to the World Health Organisation.
It is a leading cause of death among young children, despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine for the past 40 years.
About 345 000 people, most of them children, died from measles in 2005, the latest year for which figures are available.
- AP
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