World Status Report

This report intends to give the UTD Community a snapshot of international risks, and other issues as reported by the linked media and official sources from the U.S. and other countries.

More health and security information for each country can be found in the travel advisories issued by the governments of the United States, Canada, the UK, New Zealand, and Australia, and the CDC, ECDC, and WHO sites. Not all advise in these sites will apply to US travelers.

Please note the publication date of this report and go to the direct sources linked for the most up-to-date information.  The information in this report may change without prior notice.

Security

• Pakistan – violence (ERCC). A bomb blast at a political rally has killed over 46 people and injured 200 on 30 July, in Bajur tribal district of KP. Emergency has been declared in hospitals of neighboring districts.
• Sudan health crisis reaches ‘gravely serious levels’ (UN News). Cases of infectious diseases and other illness have been reported among displaced populations who have sought shelter in hard-to-reach locations, where health services are limited. More than two-thirds of hospitals remain out of service amid increasing reports of attacks on health facilities.
• France to evacuate French, EU citizens from Niger (Reuters on MSN.com). France plans to evacuate hundreds of French and European citizens from Niger over the next 24 hours, its foreign minister said on Tuesday, days after a junta seized power in the west African country.
• Clashes between gangs, military kill at least 20 in Colombia (Reuters). At least 20 people were killed as Colombian military personnel clashed with FARC dissidents and the Clan del Golfo crime gang in different parts of the country, authorities said on Monday.
• Two taxi drivers arrested in Mexican resort of Cancun for assaulting van carrying tourists (AP News). The latest assault on vehicles that cab drivers suspect of being operated by ride-hailing apps such as Uber.
• The United States has ordered last week non-emergency government personnel to leave Haiti (Al Jazeera), as the Caribbean nation continues to reel under widespread gang violence, kidnappings and political instability. “Kidnapping is widespread, and victims regularly include US citizens,” the statement said, adding that violent crimes including armed robbery and carjackings are also common.

Natural Disasters

• Guatemala – Severe weather, update (ERCC). Heavy rainfall and strong winds continue to affect most of Guatemala since May 2023, causing floods, landslides and a number of severe weather-related incidents that resulted in casualties and damage.
• Philippines, China – Tropical cyclone DOKSURI, update (ERCC). Nearly 31,000 people have been displaced in western Beijing, while 75,500 people have been evacuated in Hebei Province, and more than 20,000 buildings have been inspected for damage. The remnants of tropical cyclone DOKSURI is still bringing heavy rainfall and strong winds. In the Philippines, the remnants of DOKSURI have enhanced the southwest monsoon, and seven provinces have been placed under a State of Calamity. About 2.5 million people have been affected and more than 312,000 people have been displaced.
• Philippines – Volcanic unrest, update (ERCC). Explosive and effusive activity of the Mayon volcano, located in Bicol Region, central Philippines, is ingoing. In the past 24 hours, two main lava flows moving in southern and south-eastern direction and ash plumes 100 m high have been recorded by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS).
• Vietnam – Severe weather (ERCC). Heavy rainfall has been affecting central and southern Vietnam causing landslides and floods in Lam Dong Province (central Vietnam), Binh Thuan Province (south-eastern Vietnam) and Bac Lieu Province (sothern Vietnam)  that resulted in casualties and damage.
• Northern hemisphere summer marked by heatwaves and wildfires (UN News). Record temperatures have been reported on land and in the sea, while wildfires have sparked devastation, caused dozens of casualties, and forced thousands to be evacuated. “The extreme weather – an increasingly frequent occurrence in our warming climate – is having a major impact on human health, ecosystems, economies, agriculture, energy and water supplies. This underlines the increasing urgency of cutting greenhouse gas emissions as quickly and as deeply as possible,” said Petteri Taalas, the WMO Secretary-General.
• Powerful Typhoon Khanun lashes southwest Japanese islands, grounding flights and closing businesses (SFGate). TOKYO (AP) — A powerful Typhoon Khanun was approaching Japan’s southwestern island of Okinawa on Tuesday, lashing the region with strong winds and high waves, and forcing transportation to halt and stores to close.

Health

• Cholera cases have continued to be reported in western, eastern and southern parts of Africa, some parts of the Middle East, South-East Asia, and the Americas in recent months (ECDC). The risk of cholera infection in travellers visiting these countries remains low, even though sporadic importation of cases to the EU/EEA remains possible.
• In 2023 and as of 26 July, approximately 300 000 cases and over 300 deaths have been reported worldwide as a result of Chikungunya virus disease (ECDC). The current likelihood of local transmission events of chikungunya and dengue viruses occurring in areas where the vector is present in mainland EU/EEA is high, as the environmental conditions are favourable for vector activity and virus replication. The likelihood is expected to increase to very high in coming weeks, as temperatures continue to increase.
• The CDC reports that between 2010 and 2022, there were an estimated 450,000 people who might have been affected by AGS in the United States (CDC). “Alpha-gal syndrome is an important emerging public health problem, with potentially severe health impacts that can last a lifetime for some patients,” said Dr. Ann Carpenter, epidemiologist. Growing evidence suggests that AGS is primarily associated with the bite of a lone star tick in the United States, but other kinds of ticks have not been ruled out. Preventing tick bites is important in preventing tickborne disease and can reduce your chances of developing AGS.
• Russia and China report new H5N1 avian flu outbreaks in birds (CIDRAP). In other developments, South Korea reported H5N1 in cats at a second shelter and Northern Ireland reported the virus in foxes.
• It only takes just a fraction of a second to suffer a pretty serious burn (Reuters). Asphalt and concrete in direct sunlight can often reach surface temperatures as high as 82 Celsius (180 Fahrenheit) on the hottest days, said Dr. Kevin Foster, who directs the Arizona Burn Center in Phoenix.

Please note the publication date of this report and go to the direct sources linked for the most up-to-date information. The information in this report may change without prior notice.

---

Tags

---

Related Posts

---