Daily NK has belatedly learned that North Korea vaccinated citizens in August against waterborne diseases. However, with disease running rampant everywhere, some North Koreans are criticizing the vaccine as essentially worthless.
A source in North Korea told Daily NK on Thursday that the government provided injections of what it described as “a new medicine good for preventing typhoid and paratyphoid” to hospitals nationwide. He said hospitals administered the drug to citizens aged 15 to 65.
However, waterborne diseases recently appear to be spreading in North Korea.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service reportedly said during a parliamentary audit on Oct. 28 that North Korea is experiencing shortages of needed medications and that waterborne diseases such as typhoid are spreading.
In fact, the source said there were outbreaks of waterborne diseases in the municipalities of Chongjin, Hoeryong and Musan County in North Hamgyong Province from August to October. In Yanggang Province, too, there were outbreaks in Hyesan, Samjiyon, Samsu County, Kimjongsuk County and elsewhere.
The source said that there are many paratyphoid patients in Hoeryong in particular, with a flood of patients suffering from high fevers.
North Korea’s outbreaks of waterborne diseases may be due to floods in August. Downpours of nearly 600mm struck North Hamgyong Province in August, while neighboring Yanggang Province also suffered heavy rains.
Waterborne diseases have long run rampant after heavy rains in North Korea since the country lacks good drainage facilities. North Korean authorities may have administered the vaccines after the heavy rains as a preventative measure.
The move does not appear to have worked, however. Some North Koreans believe the vaccine was ineffective. Some also cast doubt about the safety of the drug given the low state of North Korea’s pharmaceutical sector.
The source said neither the government nor health organs are saying exactly why there have been outbreaks despite the injections. He said the authorities are just advising locals to wash their hands three times a day or more to prevent diseases.
The source said the authorities are isolating or writing prescriptions for people with symptoms after they receive treatment in local hospitals. He added that people simply believe they got sick because they cannot properly eat.
North Korean citizens have long been unable to receive proper treatment or prescriptions due to the collapse of the nation’s medical system. People have responded by treating themselves with medications purchased in markets.
However, North Korea is now experiencing shortages of medical supplies due to the closure of the country’s borders to combat COVID-19. Because of this, North Koreans can only pace nervously and wait, unable to buy medicines.
The source said sick people usually self-isolate at home until their symptoms disappear. As of late, you cannot find medicines to treat diseases even in the markets, he added.
This means people are waiting to recover, relying on their own immune systems. It appears patients are practically being abandoned, unable to receive treatment.
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