North Korea given exemption for medical supplies from WHO

Children get ready for vaccination at an undisclosed location in Pyongyang, in this file photo from October 2012 released by the country's state-run Korean Central News Agency.

SEOUL, March 20 (AJP) - North Korea is expected to receive some medical supplies from the World Health Organization (WHO) after the United Nations Security Council approved an exemption from international sanctions, Radio Free Asia reported on Thursday.

According to the U.S. government-funded news outlet, the exemption, granted on Feb. 13, allows the WHO to send vital equipment to the isolated country.

The shipment, valued at approximately ,000, will include 20 types of medical devices, such as carbon dioxide incubators, test tube centrifuges, vertical autoclaves (sterilizers), and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) machines.

The shipment, worth about ,000, will include 20 types of medical devices such as carbon dioxide incubators, test tube centrifuges, vertical autoclaves, and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) machines.

The WHO expects that the equipment will help diagnose and manage infectious diseases including those preventable by vaccines.

Since North Korea sealed its borders in early 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, childhood vaccination rates have reportedly declined sharply, raising concerns about the spread of preventable diseases.

Last year, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) provided North Korea with 7.1 million doses of essential vaccines, though experts believe that should remain far insufficient.