Parasitic worms may be rampant in North Korea

Experts based on the medical records of North Korean defectors say parasitic worms may be rampant in North Korea.

Dr. Lee Cook-Jong reports on parasitic worm infections in North Korean defectors. Photo: CNN.

The fact that North Korean soldiers who defected were infected with parasitic worms and hepatitis B reflects the poor health situation of the country's people, CNN quoted experts' assessment yesterday.

On November 13, a North Korean soldier surnamed Oh was hit by five bullets from 40 shots from his comrades' pistols and AK-47 rifles while risking his life crossing the demilitarized zone to defect to South Korea.Korean doctors then had to perform emergency surgery to save Oh's life.The injury caused him to lose a lot of blood.

During treatment, doctors discovered that Oh was infected with a large number of parasitic worms in his small intestine, including worms 27 cm long.Dr. Lee Cook-Jong is in charge of treatment.hhug 11/22 cThey learned that this soldier also had hepatitis B, a disease that can easily lead to liver cancer.

According to David Heymann, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK, a person infected with hepatitis B can reflect poor sterilization in a country's hospitals.

"Hepatitis B is transmitted mainly through unsterilized needles or through sexual contact," said Professor Heymann.

Oh is not the first North Korean defector to be found to have severe worm infections or hepatitis B.College of Medicine, Dankook University, Korea in researchIn 2015, a study of 169 North Korean defectors found that 7 out of 17 women were infected with parasitic worms. The rate of hepatitis B infection wasone in 10 people

ParasitologistChoi Min-ho, a professor at Seoul National University College of Medicine, said thatAt least half of North Korea's population is infected with worms.

"For people who can eat well and are wealthy, worm infection may not be a big problem. But for people who are malnourished, worm infection can be a more serious problem because these parasites absorb many essential nutrients," said Professor Choi.

According to the professor,The use of human waste as fertilizer for crops and poor sanitation, such as not washing hands after using the toilet, are the causes of the spread of disease-causing parasites in North Korea.

Killing worms is easy with medicine, but Mr. Choi said this is difficult to do in North Korea."This is a vicious cycle that is difficult to stop in North Korea. People are struggling to meet their daily needs and cannot take effective preventive measures," he said.

The North Korean defector's health condition is improving. Dr. Lee said all the parasitic worms have been removed. After recovering, Oh asked to listen to K-pop.

According to VNE