MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report
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MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. · Jun 1997
Status of public health--Democratic People's Republic of Korea, April 1997.
During 1995 and 1996, severe flooding in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (i.e., North Korea (DPRK) (1990 population: 22 million)) (Figure 1) caused 186 deaths, dislocated approximately 550,000 persons from their homes, and caused damage to an estimated 1.2 million metric tons of crops (12% of total production). In combination with systemic economic problems in DPRK, these natural disasters have been associated with reports of a severe, ongoing food shortage and increased risks to public health. To assist in targeting humanitarian aid, in April 1997, the U. ⋯ S. Foreign Disaster Assistance requested CDC to conduct an onsite assessment of the public health status and needs of the DPRK. This report summarizes findings of the assessment, which indicate a recent substantial decline in the health and nutritional status in DPRK.