North
Korea acknowledged the domestic outbreak of the H1N1 flu for the first
time yesterday (December 9), saying nine people were found infected
with the virus in Sinuiju and Pyongyang.
The announcement came through the Korean
Central News Agency, the North Korean state news agency, a day after
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak ordered his government to find
ways to help the North deal with the spread of the Influenza A(H1N1).
The North's Ministry of Public Health confirmed nine cases in the two cities, the KCNA said.
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"The
relevant agency is further perfecting the quarantine system against the
spread of this flu virus while properly carrying out the prevention and
medical treatment," the KCNA said in an English-language report.
"The State Emergency Anti-epidemic
Committee is keeping closer watch for possible flu cases and is working
to improve the medical treatment for patients."
South Korea's Unification Ministry said it would take steps to discuss aid measures with the North's authorities.
"As the president said, the government
is preparing to provide humanitarian assistance as soon as possible and
without any strings attached," ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung said.
"As we are considering sending drugs to
treat the flu, we need expert opinion from related agencies such as the
Health Ministry. We plan to talk with the North after intragovernmental
consultations."
The government plans to fax a message to
Pyongyang soon to offer the antiviral drug Tamiflu and request
information on the situation.
If accepted by the North, the South's planned medical assistance could provide a momentum for inter-Korean dialogue.
When the avian flu broke out in North
Korea in March 2005, Seoul had offered to provide aid by sending a
message signed by the chief of the National Veterinary Research &
Quarantine Service to his North Korean counterpart.
The North accepted the offer, and
following working-level talks, the South sent sterilising equipment
worth 720 million won (US$619,461) to the North.
The Lee Myung-bak administration stopped
unconditional aid to the North after taking office early last year, but
has said it was willing to offer limited humanitarian aid if necessary.
The Influenza A pandemic has claimed
about 8,700 lives across the globe so far including 3,900 in the United
States, 117 in South Korea and about 100 in Japan.
A Seoul-based aid group called Good
Friends said on Monday that a "new type of flu" had taken dozens of
lives in Sinuiju, which borders China, and Pyongyang.
The group also said winter vacation for
North Korean schools started last Friday, a month earlier than usual
due to the fast spreading flu.
In May, the World Health Organisation
provided an emergency stockpile of Tamiflu to North Korea and other
developing countries, but Seoul officials believe it won't be enough.