No. of swine flu-infected North Koreans rose to 110,000 last month: report

A North Korean man gets a medical check-up for an influenza at a clinic in Pyongyang on Nov. 14, 2009, in this file photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. / Yonhap

The number of patients infected with H1N1 influenza, also known as swine flu, in North Korea rose to 110,000 last month, Voice of America reported Friday.

Citing Gwendolyn Pang, who heads the Asian regional office of the International Federation of Red Cross, VOA's Korean Service said 110,015 out of 179,259 North Korean people who contracted an influenza virus had tested positive for the H1N1 virus as of Jan. 23. Pang obtained the figures from the North's health ministry.

The number of North Korean people infected with H1N1 influenza increased by about 30,000 from 81,640 a week ago.

Pang said H1N1 infections have been observed across the country, with 29 percent of cases in Pyongyang and about half of those infected aged less than 17.

The death toll from the influenza ― three children and one man ― has shown no change, the report said.

According to Pang, the Red Cross plans to inject an emergency relief fund of US$350,000 into the North to prevent the H1N1 influenza from spreading in the country. (Yonhap)

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