All lie! In North Korea, there is HIV | Knowledge & Environment | '
At the last World AIDS Day last December, government officials and staff from the World Health Organization (WHO) celebrated at an event in Pyongyang that at least this little corner of the planet was untouched by HIV. The complete foreclosure of the country so have something good.
But even this North Korean claim was a lie: A research team from North Korea and the US did not want to believe the health authorities of the country and has itself rechecked. The result: in fact, there are nearly 8400 HIV cases in North Korea. The first cases were probably already in 1999. And in recent years, the number of infections has risen sharply.
Exceptional relationship of trust
As the "Science" magazine reports exclusively, the unusual cooperation with the Korean-born researchers from the USA began in 2013. "Our North Korean colleagues approached us," said Taehoon Kim, co-founder of DoDaum, a non-profit organization in New York that conducts health and education projects in North Korea. "They first expressed concerns about HIV in rural areas and asked if we could do something about it."
"Because we spoke the same language, a relationship of trust developed," says Kim. "We started to travel to more distant parts of the country to meet with patients and understand the issues." These statements of the club co-founder can not be re-examined. As is so often the case with North Korea, independent reporting from the isolated country is not possible.
Since 2015, the North Korean Center for Disease Control has documented a steady increase in infections over the last decade or so. In September 2018, the North Korean National AIDS Commission concluded a nationwide survey indicating a large increase in infections, especially among blood donors and injecting drug users.
Similarities with China
According to DoDaum, this is reminiscent of a scandal in central China in the 1990s, when more than 37,000 blood plasma donors – mostly farmers – were infected with HIV. In China too, the existence of AIDS had long been denied. Reason was there allegedly profit greed. For blood donations, contaminated devices had been reused.
Similar gaps could also exist in North Korea, where quality assurance and security mechanisms are "rather random," according to Kim Mun Song. The disease rate in North Korea estimates the team at 0.069%, which is very low compared to other countries, but some African countries have double-digit rates.
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In the meantime, China is dealing openly with the issue of HIV / AIDS
First, the North Korean officials had asked the US club DoDaum to keep quiet about the increasing HIV infections. In view of the drama, however, their liaison, Kim Mun Song, a doctor and foreign relations director at the North Korean Ministry of Health in Pyongyang, has now broken his silence.
"While reporting the existence of these patients may lead to a backlash by the central government, as they are very much afraid of infectious diseases," Kim Mun Song told Science. "But by the concealment and denial of the problem, the missing treatment options are only updated."
Kim's miracle cure
In 2015, the regime presented an alleged miracle vaccine against viral diseases that were rarely or not yet curable, such as Mers, Ebola and HIV. The "very effective" substance called Kumdang-2 could, according to state news agency KCNA also cure tuberculosis and cancer, help with pregnancy sickness and "damage resulting from the excessive use of computers". The miracle drug consists of ginseng extracts and rare earths.
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According to DoDaum, North Korea is completely overwhelmed by the HIV problem. According to Kim, there are only three laboratories in the country that have modern analysis methods for HIV testing. DoDaum claims to provide about 3,000 North Korean patients with antiretroviral therapy (ARV). But the tightened international sanctions against North Korea made it nearly impossible to get the necessary medicines into the country.
Tuberculosis, malnutrition and sanctions exacerbate the problem
To make matters worse, there is a very high tuberculosis rate in North Korea, including multi-drug resistant strains. HIV is progressing much faster in people with tuberculosis. Due to the latent malnutrition in the country, the spread of tuberculosis and HIV is becoming more acute, according to the association.
The authors call on the international community to give more support to North Korea in the fight against HIV / AIDS. At the same time, they warn that North Korea could tackle the problem with drastic measures. So infected people could be imprisoned or deported.
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