The government has decided to provide Tamiflu, a treatment for influenza, for North Korea to prevent the spread of flu between the two Koreas.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare discussed inter-Korean cooperation plan, including the provision of treatment to prevent flu spread between the two Koreas, at a working-group healthcare meeting on Dec. 12.

Later, the government explained the inter-Korean flu cooperation plan to the U.S. officials at the Seoul-Washington working group and won their sympathy.

“At the South Korea-U.S. working group, we explained inter-Korean cooperation plan on influenza to the U.S. officials, who expressed sympathy to it on humanitarian grounds,” a ministry official said. “The U.S. side judged it did not violate the sanction against North Korea.”

The ministry plans to provide Tamiflu, a drug for the treatment of influenza, and rapid diagnostic kits to North Korea swiftly the official said. He added that the ministry would notify North Korea of related plans and start discussing on the details of the aid, before long.

The amount and timing of the healthcare aid will be decided at a working-level meeting. Considering that the winter season has begun, the ministry will make the delivery as soon as possible.

Seoul plans to use the inter-Korean cooperation fund to purchase Tamiflu.

North Korea has reported about 300,000 suspected cases and about 150,000 confirmed cases of influenza to the World Health Organization from late 2017 to early 2018.

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