Rubella eradicated in N. Korea with mass vaccinations: WHO

A measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is seen on a countertop at a pediatrics clinic in Greenbrae, California, in this Feb. 6, 2015 file photo. AP-Yonhap

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the rubella virus has been wiped out in North Korea on the back of large-scale vaccinations for children and young women.

The WHO said it has "concluded that endemic rubella virus has been eliminated from the country," citing evidence provided by the North's National Verification Committee.

The U.N. health body said North Korea introduced measles-rubella vaccines in its childhood immunization program in 2019 after successfully carrying out a wide age range immunization campaign targeting 9-month to 15-year-old children and 16-to 18-year-old women with measles and rubella vaccines.

"Through this mass immunization activity, achieving more than 99.8 percent coverage in almost 6 million target population, the country rapidly built substantial population immunity for rubella," the WHO said in a statement released Tuesday on its website.

Rubella virus infection usually causes a mild fever and rash in children and adults, but infection during pregnancy, especially during the first trimester, can result in miscarriage, fetal death, stillbirth, or infants with congenital malformations. (Yonhap)