International Education > Archive > Category: World Status Report

072319 – Word Status Report

July 23, 2019

When traveling on behalf of UT Dallas, set up your institutional safety net and prepare for an emergency as a standard step of all your travels.  Find more information in the Traveler Best Practices webpage.

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.

Take Enhanced Precautions

Conflict and Terrorism

  • Iraq – GC.CA – On July 17, 2019, an attack occurred in a restaurant in the northern town of Erbil, resulting in three casualties. If you are in Erbil avoid the affected area, be aware of your surroundings at all times, follow the instructions of local authorities, monitor local media to stay informed of the evolving situation.
  • Netherlands – U.S. Department of State – Exercise increased caution in the Netherlands due to terrorism. Terrorists continue plotting possible attacks in the Netherlands. Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, local government facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, parks, major sporting and cultural events, educational institutions, airports, and other public areas.

Crime and Social Unrest

  • Ghana – U.S. Department of State – Exercise increased caution in urban areas, intercity highways and areas near the northern border in the Upper East and Upper West regions due to crime.  Exercise increased caution in parts of the Bono East, Bono, Savannah, Northern, North East, and Upper East regions due to civil unrest.
  • Madagascar – U.S. Department of State – Exercise increased caution in Madagascar due to crime. Violent crime, such as armed robbery and assault, may occur throughout Madagascar.  Read the entire advisory to learn about specific areas of concern.
  • Uganda – GC.CA – Armed banditry, car thefts, muggings and kidnappings occur throughout Uganda and foreigners have been targeted. On April 2, 2019, gunmen ambushed a group of foreign tourists in the Queen Elizabeth National Park and kidnapped an American citizen, who was freed days later after a settlement with her captors. Petty crime, including pickpocketing, purse and jewelry snatching and theft from hotel rooms and vehicles, occurs regularly. If attacked, don’t resist, as offering resistance may result in violence.

Demonstrations

  • Dominican Republic – GC.CA – Political demonstrations may occur in July 2019, especially in areas surrounding the Palace of Congress, Supreme Court and other government buildings in Santo Domingo.
  • United States – GC.CA – Several political demonstrations have taken place in Old San Juan in Puerto Rico since July 11, 2019. Demonstrations may continue and are likely to cause traffic and transportation disruptions in affected areas.

Entry and Exit Requirements

  • Equatorial Guinea – GC.CA – The border with Cameroon is frequently closed. Contact local authorities for the latest information.

Health

  • Bolivia – CDC – Health officials in Bolivia have reported an outbreak of hemorrhagic fever associated with an arenavirus similar to Chapare arenavirus. The first case was in a man from Caranavi Province. A health care provider who treated him became ill and was transferred to La Paz. Currently, several additional cases have been reported; all have been in health care providers or family members of the first patient. Testing suggests that the virus is genetically similar to Chapare virus, a New World arenavirus that was first documented in Bolivia in 2003. During that outbreak, a small number of people became ill, and one died. Since then, no additional cases have been reported. Additional testing is ongoing to determine the exact cause of this outbreak.
  • Europe – ECDC – During the West Nile virus infection transmission season, expected to be from June November 2019, ECDC monitors the occurrence of West Nile virus infections in EU/EEA. From 12 to 18 July 2019, six confirmed human cases have been reported in Greece (five confirmed) and Romania (one). All areas have had human cases reported in the previous transmission seasons.
  • European Union – ECDC – Measles cases in the EU/EEA primarily occur in unvaccinated populations in both adults and children. Outbreaks are ongoing in countries that had previously eliminated or interrupted endemic transmission. Several EU/EEA countries reported ongoing or new outbreaks: Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Poland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Spain. Most of the cases in 2019 have been reported from Romania (2 152), France (2 125), Poland (1 290), Italy (1 096), Bulgaria (1053), and Lithuania (787). In 2019, 7 deaths were reported in the EU in Romania (5), Italy (1), and France (1).
  • World – ECDC – Chikungunya virus disease and Dengue are vector borne diseases that affect 50 to 100 million people each year. In the past decade, an increasing number of countries have detected cases of dengue and chikungunya virus disease. Chikungunya virus disease has been circulating in Africa and Asia and reached the Americas. Dengue is present in Africa, the Americas, Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific. No cases of either disease have been reported in continental Europe so far in 2019. Chikungunya virus is circulating in the Americas, with several countries reporting cases in 2019. Chikungunya virus disease cases have also been detected in Africa and Asia. Since the previous CDTR update, Congo, Maldives and Thailand have reported the majority of new cases. Dengue: This year, Brazil has recorded numbers equivalent to 2015 and 2016. In South East Asia, it is currently the peak season. Thailand and the Philippines have declared a national alert due to spiking numbers.

Other

  • Egypt – GOV.UK, GOV.AU, GOVT.NZ – On 20 July 2019, British Airways announced that it was suspending its flights to Cairo for seven days. Other airlines may be affected. If you are due to travel to Egypt, contact your airline for further information.

Ebola News

  • Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo – GOV.UK – On 17 July 2019, the World Health Organisation declared the outbreak to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo – WHO – On 17 July 2019 the Director General accepted the Emergency Committee’s recommendation that the outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The decision was based on the recent developments in the outbreak, including the geographical expansion of the virus. The Committee and WHO do not recommend any restrictions on travel or trade, which can hamper the fight against Ebola by affecting the movement of people and supplies. The outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in North Kivu and Ituri provinces continued this past week with similar transmission intensity to recent weeks. While the stability of the transmission intensity of the outbreak is an indication of the strong response efforts to limit local transmission in affected health zones, the spread of EVD into new geographical areas and continued insecurity in the affected regions continue to complicate the control of the outbreak.
  • Democratic Republic of Congo – UNDispatch – The WHO designated the outbreak as a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern,” or PHEIC. The designation does not mandate a travel ban or anything like that, rather, the designation is intended to streamline and enable a more robust response to an ongoing crisis. This includes things like freeing up some emergency funding and ensuring that visas for foreign health workers are expeditiously processed.
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo – ECDC –  Since the previous CDTR and as of 17 July 2019, the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reported 81 additional confirmed cases. During the same period, 58 deaths were reported. These deaths include 12 deaths from 9 to 11 July 2019, when no data was available from Ebola treatment centers. Among the new reported cases in the past week, six are healthcare workers. Since 18 July 2019, a 24/7 monitoring team has been established at Goma International Airport.

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.