NORTH KOREA COUNTRY HANDBOOK

SECTION 5
MEDICAL ASSESSMENT
Key Judgments
U.S. military personnel deploying to the Korean Peninsula will encounter
significant infectious disease and environmental health risks. Disease
and non-battle injuries (DNBIs) present a major risk to the effectiveness
of operational units and the success of the overall mission. Command
emphasis on preventive medicine measures, good personal hygiene, disease
surveillance and reporting, and troop discipline at all levels is
essential for limiting infectious disease and environmental health risks.
The primary infectious disease risks are from scrub typhus, hemorrhagic
fever with renal syndrome (Korean hemorrhagic fever), and Japanese
encephalitis. Risks from food- and water-borne diseases include diarrheal
diseases, typhoid and paratyphoid fevers, and hepatitis A. Risks
may vary among geographic areas and seasons. Environmental health
risks are primarily attributable to extremes of heat and cold, depending
on the region and season, and poor food and water sanitation. Unregulated
industry and agriculture heavily pollute air, water, and soil
resources.
Preventive countermeasures are the key to combat strength, and their
implementation and continued emphasis must be a command responsibility.
Use of local and regional food, water, and ice sources without
proper inspection and approval by U.S. medical personnel (military
public health, veterinary, and preventive medicine units) will put operational
forces at great risk of acquiring food- and water-borne diseases
that could significantly degrade the effectiveness of over 10 to 20 percent
of the entire force within 24 to 48 hours. Additionally, without the
implementation of effective preventive medicine countermeasures,
small point-source outbreaks could degrade company-size units to the
point of being operationally ineffective for up to 7 days.
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