# 2058
For what it's worth, the North Korean government is denying reports from last week indicating that children had been dying from a mysterious ailment. Bird flu and HFMD (Hand Foot Mouth Disease) were both mentioned as possible causes.
As I pointed out last week, there didn't seem to be any real reason to suspect avian flu, and HFMD seemed a far more likely diagnosis.
A hat tip to Crof on Crofsblog for picking up this story from Yonhap News.
N.K. denies rumors on bird flu outbreak: report
SEOUL, June 10 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has denied rumors that avian influenza or hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) is spreading in the country, a radio report said Tuesday.
The North's heath authorities notified the World Health Organization (WHO) that there has been no single case of bird flu or HFMD reported to the authorities this year, the Washington-based Radio Free Asia said.
The denial came in response to a report published a week ago by South Korean aid group Good Friends, claiming that a mysterious epidemic suspected to be bird flu or HFMD has been spreading in North Korean towns bordering China. The disease has already taken the lives in recent months of many North Korean infants already suffering from malnutrition caused by food shortages, the group claimed, citing unnamed North Korean doctors in the border area.
The WHO has rendered technical and monetary support to North Korea to help prevent possible bird flu outbreaks since the communist state was hit by the deadly disease in 2005. No new case has been reported since then.
