ANKARA

North Korea on Thursday reported an outbreak of an unidentified intestinal disease, further fanning fears of a medical meltdown in a country already stretched in its battle against COVID-19.

Leader Kim Jong Un has donated medicines for his family’s private reserves to help people suffering from “acute enteric epidemic” in the southern port city of Haeju, state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

It, however, did not identify the disease or elaborate on the number of people infected.

Kim urged officials “to contain the epidemic at the earliest … by taking well-knit measures to quarantine the suspected cases,” the report said.

Since it confirmed its first COVID-19 outbreak last month, North Korea’s overall case tally has now surged to above 4.55 million, including 73 deaths.

North Korea has been under severe international sanctions over its nuclear programs for decades, crippling all aspects of life in the country of some 25 million people.

Its close ally China has sent medical aid to help Pyongyang’s ailing health system.

*Riyaz ul Khaliq contributed to this report.