According to the official Korean Central News Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has directed officials to adopt measures such as quarantine, medical treatment, and sterilization to manage an “acute enteric epidemic.”

According to KCNA, Kim has donated his medicines to persons sick with the new unexplained disease, with the current epidemic occurring in South Hwanghae Province in North Korea’s southwestern region.

North Korea reported its first COVID-19 case since the pandemic began in 2020 on May 12, but South Korea’s intelligence agency questioned if Pyongyang’s daily statistics accurately represent the number of sick persons.

According to Seoul, a significant percentage of the fever cases reported by Pyongyang had included individuals with additional infectious disorders such as typhoid.

North Korea announced Thursday that over 26,000 new instances of fever had been detected in the 24 hours leading up to 6 p.m. Wednesday, increasing the total number to about 4.56 million since late April. The total number of fatalities throughout the period was 73.