Status of public health--Democratic People's Republic of Korea, April 1997.

During 1995 and 1996, severe flooding in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (i.e., North Korea (DPRK) (1990 population: 22 million)) (Figure 1) caused 186 deaths, dislocated approximately 550,000 persons from their homes, and caused damage to an estimated 1.2 million metric tons of crops (12% of total production). In combination with systemic economic problems in DPRK, these natural disasters have been associated with reports of a severe, ongoing food shortage and increased risks to public health. To assist in targeting humanitarian aid, in April 1997, the U.S. Agency for International Development's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance requested CDC to conduct an onsite assessment of the public health status and needs of the DPRK. This report summarizes findings of the assessment, which indicate a recent substantial decline in the health and nutritional status in DPRK.