A flu outbreak is sweeping parts of North Korea, overwhelming hospitals and forcing parents to seek private doctors as children as young as one year old develop pneumonia, Daily NK has learned.
A source in North Hamgyong province told Daily NK on Wednesday that flu cases have surged in recent weeks in Chongjin and other areas of the province. Symptoms include high fever, coughing, difficulty breathing, and joint pain. “People here are calling it ‘dokgamgi’ (flu season),” the source said.
In one neighborhood watch unit in Chongjin, a third of all households have been affected. The illness spreads rapidly through families: when one member falls sick, the rest typically follow. Sources say the symptoms are more severe and longer-lasting than a common cold.
Children hit hardest
Children are bearing the worst of the outbreak. Families who cannot afford medicine are watching their sick children deteriorate until the illness progresses to pneumonia. Children between the ages of 1 and 3 require hospitalization, but a surge in flu patients has left hospitals short of beds.
“Here, when people get sick, they usually buy medicine from vendors at the market,” the source said. “But since wrong medication can be dangerous for young children, parents go to hospitals first. Children hospitalized with flu need at least a week of inpatient treatment. When there are no beds available, parents search for private doctors.”
Pediatric injections in particular require skilled practitioners, and parents are increasingly seeking out doctors and nurses known for their experience treating young children.
The situation is the same in Hyesan, the capital of Ryanggang province. A source there told Daily NK that the outbreak has spread beyond adults to elementary school children, kindergartners, and even one- and two-year-olds. “Adults do what they always do: take medicine if they have it and tough it out if they don’t,” the source said. “But young children are developing pneumonia.”
School absenteeism is rising as a result. Parents are keeping children home not only when symptoms appear, but also as a precautionary measure. “Families that are struggling financially have to go into debt just to buy medicine when their child gets sick,” the source said. “Some parents are keeping their children home altogether just to avoid that.”
Poverty deepens the crisis
The outbreak is widening the gap between those who can and cannot afford care. Wealthier families are able to purchase medicine and receive timely treatment, while poorer households watch illnesses worsen for lack of means.
“These days you hear people saying everywhere: ‘In the end, it’s only the poor who suffer more,'” the source said.
Meanwhile, many women who manage household market stalls in the informal jangmadang (market) economy are pushing through illness because their families depend on their daily income. “Because the family’s livelihood depends on them, they go out to sell even when they are sick,” the source said. “That keeps spreading the flu, and the cycle just repeats.”
North Korea’s public health system has long struggled with chronic shortages of medicine and equipment. The country sealed its borders in early 2020 in response to COVID-19 and has been slow to reopen trade channels, a decision that further strained an already depleted medical supply chain.
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