N. Korea Sounds Hantavirus Alarm

(MENAFN) North Korea has issued a public health warning to its citizens over the rising threat of hantavirus, following a confirmed outbreak aboard a cruise ship that has already claimed three lives.

A state-run newspaper reported Monday that hantavirus infections are "causing concern in the international community," signaling Pyongyang's rare acknowledgment of an unfolding global health emergency.

The cruise ship outbreak has produced eight confirmed cases so far, with three fatalities recorded earlier this month. Authorities identified the pathogen as the Andes strain — the only known hantavirus variant capable of spreading directly between humans, typically through close physical contact.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has escalated its response, classifying the outbreak as a Level 3 emergency and deploying a dedicated emergency task force to coordinate containment measures.

Rodong Sinmun noted that governments worldwide are responding with heightened vigilance, while African nations have begun closely monitoring developments as the international community mobilizes to curb the virus's spread.

The report also flagged a sharp global surge in measles cases, with South Africa, Japan, and Bangladesh among the hardest-hit nations — the latter recording the deaths of 409 children since mid-March alone.

Rounding out its global health overview, the publication referenced the recent discovery of a new coronavirus strain in bats in Thailand, which preliminary assessments suggest carries lower transmissibility and disease severity than COVID-19.

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