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Re: North KOREA: UNDIAGNOSED CHILDREN DEATHS|_
I don't know if we can assume that diagnostic tests are being performed on these children. To complicate matters, the population is starving, enhancing adverse health effects of infectious disease. Enterovirus infection may present differently and death rates maybe higher given a starving host.
A recent CNN article about the famine:
And from Good Friends:
North Korea Today No. 127 May 2008
?Research Institute for North Korean Society of Good Friends, in order to bring news of the food crisis in North Korea more accurately and quickly, will increase its e-newsletter frequency to more than one issue per week. As such, the release dates might shift. Thank you for your understanding and attention to this looming crisis. We at Good Friends hope to be a bridge between the North Korean people and the world.?
People Starving to Death in Most South Hwanghae Province
In 20 cities and counties in South Hwanghae Province, with the exception of 1 or 2 places, cases of people who are dying of starvation are starting to emerge.
The lack of food supplies in farming regions is severe enough that its reputation as grain basket put to shame. South Hwanghae Province's grain harvest has been drastically reduced because of the extensive damage caused by last year's flood and because members of the military are personally watching over the supplies of rice reserved for military use.
The amount of rice that farms much reserve has increased, leading to a severe shortage of food available for farmers. One official said, 'Usually, the region with the most pressing need for food is Gangwon Province, but right now it is Hwanghae Province. This is something that has not happened before. They used to say that the area facing the most difficulties was North Hamgyeong Province but North Hamgyeong Province is doing the best.
There is still news that people in North Hamgyeong Province are starving to death, but because the food situation in other areas has become that much worse and there has been a substantial increase in the number of those who are starving to death, North Hamgyeong Province has the highest standard of living.
South Hwanghae Province was affected the least during the Arduous March, but now, it is responsible for most of the deaths that are being reported. As a result of this, the government is planning to plant potatoes nationwide. The government is hoping to restore the faith and loyalty of the people by planting potatoes, which it says grows the quickest and has the highest amount of nutrients, but the problem is that they do not have any seeds.
There is a lot of discord because without any seeds, they can't plant anything, but even if they had seed potatoes, the government would make fuss that the farmer have rebuke on the orders from the government. The official went on to say that 'there is continued unrest and resentment among the people because the government is not doing anything while it still continues to make demands like these.'
Weakened Immune Systems Cause s Sudden Deaths
Amidst the increasing numbers of people who are dying from starvation, doctors are unanimously voicing their concerns that the immune systems of the populace have become dangerously weak. Jung Gwang-hyuk, a doctor from Sariwon, worried that 'because everyone's immune system is weak, even those who are breathing right now face the immediate danger of dying.'
Sung Ryung Hyae (53), a doctor from Haeju, said 'If you look at the general case of South Hwanghae Province, there are 8 or 9 people out of 10 who are subsisting on nothing more than porridge water. The porridge itself is not properly made because of the lack of food, and even though people mix in things such as grass, the nutritional value of the porridge is quite low. As a result, people can faint or die without warning. Unlike older times when people got weaker before dying, now, there are many people who suddenly faint and die. This is the frightening consequence of a weakened immune system.'
Jang Hwa-sun (52),a physician from Wonsan, echoed this sentiment. 'The majority of the people who are dying are farmers. During the Arduous March when there was no food, people died after being bed-ridden for one of two years and did not die suddenly. However, because of the weak state of people's immune systems, even if they are able to eat, they face the risk of dying suddenly. Recently, a patient who suffered from malnutrition came to me. I gave him some maize-rice that I found with some difficulty, but he soon suffered from indigestion. Because his digestive functions were impaired, the patient suffered even though he had eaten and died shortly thereafter. I was shocked when I saw that.'
70-80% of Youth Stopping Schoolwork, South Hwanghae Province
In South Hwanghae Province, the effects of the food shortage on the education of young children are becoming evident. According to one official in South Hwanghae Province, 'In areas where food supplies have fallen, there is a corresponding drop in the rate of school attendance among children. The rate of school attendance among children of military families in Haeju is clearly higher than other areas. In contrast, school attendance among children living in farming areas is only 20-30% while some children receive a certificate to transfer schools.' Even though children receive a transfer of school certificate, the vast majority of children do not report to their new school. Instead, they go to the mountains with their grandparents and dig up grass roots and greens to eat.
Kim Hyung Jin (12) of Bongsan-ri, Byuksung County in Hwanghae Province, said that he is comfortable not going to school. Hyung Jin's mother said that she is also more comfortable now because she does not have to deal with the many demands for items made by her child's teachers, and the fact that her children are berated in front of class when he is unable to bring the requested items. 'I feel so sorry for my child as it is because he has become so thin because of the food shortage, it's better not to send my child to school,' said the mother.
I don't know if we can assume that diagnostic tests are being performed on these children. To complicate matters, the population is starving, enhancing adverse health effects of infectious disease. Enterovirus infection may present differently and death rates maybe higher given a starving host.
A recent CNN article about the famine:
And from Good Friends:
North Korea Today No. 127 May 2008
?Research Institute for North Korean Society of Good Friends, in order to bring news of the food crisis in North Korea more accurately and quickly, will increase its e-newsletter frequency to more than one issue per week. As such, the release dates might shift. Thank you for your understanding and attention to this looming crisis. We at Good Friends hope to be a bridge between the North Korean people and the world.?
People Starving to Death in Most South Hwanghae Province
In 20 cities and counties in South Hwanghae Province, with the exception of 1 or 2 places, cases of people who are dying of starvation are starting to emerge.
The lack of food supplies in farming regions is severe enough that its reputation as grain basket put to shame. South Hwanghae Province's grain harvest has been drastically reduced because of the extensive damage caused by last year's flood and because members of the military are personally watching over the supplies of rice reserved for military use.
The amount of rice that farms much reserve has increased, leading to a severe shortage of food available for farmers. One official said, 'Usually, the region with the most pressing need for food is Gangwon Province, but right now it is Hwanghae Province. This is something that has not happened before. They used to say that the area facing the most difficulties was North Hamgyeong Province but North Hamgyeong Province is doing the best.
There is still news that people in North Hamgyeong Province are starving to death, but because the food situation in other areas has become that much worse and there has been a substantial increase in the number of those who are starving to death, North Hamgyeong Province has the highest standard of living.
South Hwanghae Province was affected the least during the Arduous March, but now, it is responsible for most of the deaths that are being reported. As a result of this, the government is planning to plant potatoes nationwide. The government is hoping to restore the faith and loyalty of the people by planting potatoes, which it says grows the quickest and has the highest amount of nutrients, but the problem is that they do not have any seeds.
There is a lot of discord because without any seeds, they can't plant anything, but even if they had seed potatoes, the government would make fuss that the farmer have rebuke on the orders from the government. The official went on to say that 'there is continued unrest and resentment among the people because the government is not doing anything while it still continues to make demands like these.'
Weakened Immune Systems Cause s Sudden Deaths
Amidst the increasing numbers of people who are dying from starvation, doctors are unanimously voicing their concerns that the immune systems of the populace have become dangerously weak. Jung Gwang-hyuk, a doctor from Sariwon, worried that 'because everyone's immune system is weak, even those who are breathing right now face the immediate danger of dying.'
Sung Ryung Hyae (53), a doctor from Haeju, said 'If you look at the general case of South Hwanghae Province, there are 8 or 9 people out of 10 who are subsisting on nothing more than porridge water. The porridge itself is not properly made because of the lack of food, and even though people mix in things such as grass, the nutritional value of the porridge is quite low. As a result, people can faint or die without warning. Unlike older times when people got weaker before dying, now, there are many people who suddenly faint and die. This is the frightening consequence of a weakened immune system.'
Jang Hwa-sun (52),a physician from Wonsan, echoed this sentiment. 'The majority of the people who are dying are farmers. During the Arduous March when there was no food, people died after being bed-ridden for one of two years and did not die suddenly. However, because of the weak state of people's immune systems, even if they are able to eat, they face the risk of dying suddenly. Recently, a patient who suffered from malnutrition came to me. I gave him some maize-rice that I found with some difficulty, but he soon suffered from indigestion. Because his digestive functions were impaired, the patient suffered even though he had eaten and died shortly thereafter. I was shocked when I saw that.'
70-80% of Youth Stopping Schoolwork, South Hwanghae Province
In South Hwanghae Province, the effects of the food shortage on the education of young children are becoming evident. According to one official in South Hwanghae Province, 'In areas where food supplies have fallen, there is a corresponding drop in the rate of school attendance among children. The rate of school attendance among children of military families in Haeju is clearly higher than other areas. In contrast, school attendance among children living in farming areas is only 20-30% while some children receive a certificate to transfer schools.' Even though children receive a transfer of school certificate, the vast majority of children do not report to their new school. Instead, they go to the mountains with their grandparents and dig up grass roots and greens to eat.
Kim Hyung Jin (12) of Bongsan-ri, Byuksung County in Hwanghae Province, said that he is comfortable not going to school. Hyung Jin's mother said that she is also more comfortable now because she does not have to deal with the many demands for items made by her child's teachers, and the fact that her children are berated in front of class when he is unable to bring the requested items. 'I feel so sorry for my child as it is because he has become so thin because of the food shortage, it's better not to send my child to school,' said the mother.
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