Seoul (AsiaNews) - The German Caritas launched a child vaccination campaign against Japanese encephalitis in North Korea. The volunteers of the Catholic organization already have immunized more than 430,000 children, but the purpose is to get to 3.2 million vaccines by the end of 2013. The first group involved in the project lives in South Hwanghae Province, just over the border that divides the peninsula.
The program provides a greater commitment in the southern parts of the country, since - according to Caritas - "those who live in the North are less affected by the virus, which is transmitted through a type of mosquito that does not survive at those temperatures. Funding for vaccinations have arrived thanks to the contributions of German and South Korean private individuals.
The economic emergency, international embargoes and foolish spending policies of the Government in Pyongyang have repeatedly put at risk the lives of children, who do not receive proper care and feeding. To overcome this situation only the religious organisations - both Buddhist and Christian - intervene on a regular basis; they obtain permission from the Government in Seoul - and sometimes from the United Nations - permission to work with the weakest sectors of the population.
In addition to Japanese encephalitis, Caritas provides programs for years massive interventions against tuberculosis, a veritable scourge for the North Korean population. Among the most active in this field is an American missionary, Fr. Gerard Hammond of Maryknoll, who for more than 30 years has managed to get into North Korea at least once a year for humanitarian projects.