North Korea warns about hantavirus in health report

North Korea has warned citizens about hantavirus following an outbreak linked to a cruise ship.

Hantavirus infections are "causing concern in the international community," North Korea’s state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported Monday.

A hantavirus outbreak has been confirmed aboard a cruise ship, with eight reported cases, including three deaths earlier this month. The virus was identified as the Andes strain, the only known hantavirus variant capable of human-to-human transmission, typically through close contact.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified the outbreak as a Level 3 emergency response and launched an emergency task force.

The report said many countries are responding vigilantly to the spread of hantavirus infections.

African countries are closely monitoring the situation as the international community coordinates response measures to contain the virus, it added.

The report also highlighted a rise in measles cases worldwide, including in South Africa, Japan, and Bangladesh, where 409 children have died since mid-March.

It further referred to a new coronavirus strain detected in bats in Thailand, which is believed to have lower pathogenicity and transmission potential than COVID-19.