011817 – World Status Report

Avoid Nonessential Travel

U.S. Department of State

• Kenya Travel Warning. The U.S. Department of State warns U.S. citizens to avoid travel to the border area between Somalia and Kenya because of threats by the terrorist group al-Shabaab.
• Somalia Travel Warning. The U.S. Department of State warns U.S. citizens to avoid travel to Somalia because of continuous activity by the al-Qaida affiliated terrorist group, al-Shabaab.

Take Enhanced Precautions

CDC

• Carnival and Mardi Gras. If you plan to travel outside the United States to celebrate Carnival, you can take some simple precautions to help you stay safe and healthy.

Zika News

CDC

• Special Travel Considerations for Endemic Countries in Southeast Asia.  Travelers have returned from certain countries in Southeast Asia with Zika virus infection.  These countries include: Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Vietnam.  Travel notices have not been issued for these destinations but would be considered if the number of cases rises to the level of an outbreak. Check the linked CDC page for the most up-to-date information before you make travel plans.

Recommended Reading

International SOS newsroom

• Safe travels: Don’t leave home without plans for an emergency.  “It’s relatively rare for a real catastrophe to happen that requires evacuation. But accidents do occur, and people often fail to prepare for them. I think the best we can do is try to get people to think more about this in advance.” –  Davidson Hamer, a global health expert at Boston University.  “While it is impossible to predict everything that might happen, there are ways to reduce risks. Investigate the hazards specific to your destination, including infectious diseases such as malaria and Zika. You should try to be pessimistic for a minute and think about what could go wrong and if you would be OK with that.” –  Albert Wu, an attending physician at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.

The risk information in this report is retrieved from U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and other professional sources as listed in the post. It provides general guidance for UT Dallas travelers. Please note the revision date (mmddyy) of this report, printed on the title of the post, and go to the direct sources listed for the most up-to-date information.  The information in this report may change without prior notice.