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

• Gaza: Aid access to north entirely blocked as war escalates in the south (UN News). Reports of hundreds of fatalities from bombing in southern Gaza over the weekend heightened deep concerns for civilians sheltering there, while UN humanitarians on Monday said that aid teams had only “extremely limited” movement and access to the north was “now entirely blocked”.
• Israel expects difficult new stage in Gaza, sticks to war aims – spokesperson (Reuters). Israel expects difficult fighting in the new phase of its war in Gaza but is open to “constructive feedback” on reducing harm to civilians as long as the advice is consistent with its aim of destroying Hamas, a government spokesperson said on Tuesday.
• Saudi Arabia urges US restraint as Houthis attack ships in Red Sea (Reuters). Saudi Arabia has asked the United States to show restraint in responding to attacks by Yemen’s Houthis against ships in the Red Sea, two sources familiar with Saudi thinking said, as Riyadh seeks to contain spillover from the Hamas-Israel war.
• Maduro orders the ‘immediate’ exploitation of oil, gas and mines in Guyana’s Essequibo (AP News). Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Tuesday directed the country’s state-owned companies to “immediately” begin to explore and exploit the oil, gas and mines in Guyana’s Essequibo region, a territory larger than Greece and rich in oil and minerals that Venezuela claims as its own.
• Spread of gang violence wrecks Sweden’s peaceful image (BBC News). Gangland shootings and bombings that have plagued Sweden’s biggest cities have spread to quieter suburbs and towns, shattering its reputation as a safe and peaceful nation.
• Bodies of 5 young men found in an abandoned car in Celaya (CBS News). The bodies of five university students were found stuffed in a vehicle on a dirt road in north-central Mexico, authorities said Monday.
• Peru’s deadly gold mine attack highlights growing security risk, costs (Reuters). A dramatic and deadly attack on a gold mine in Peru on Saturday has thrown a spotlight on illegal miners and criminal gangs targeting mines, which in recent years has left scores dead and cost billions of dollars in losses, according to industry and government officials.

Road Safety

• At least 16 dead and 12 injured as passenger bus falls off ravine in central Philippines (AP News). A passenger bus lost control while negotiating a downhill curve in a central Philippine mountain village and plunged into a deep ravine, killing at least 16 people and injuring 12 others, officials said Wednesday.

Environment

• Indonesia – Volcanic eruption, update (ERCC). The activity of Mount Marapi, located in West Sumatra Province, is still ongoing and more than 45 eruptions have been recorded by the authorities.
• France – Floods (ERCC). Heavy rainfall has been affecting northern France, in particular the Calvados Department in the Normandy Region, over the last 48 hours, causing floods and the Orange River overflows that have resulted in evacuations and damage.
• Philippines – Earthquake, update (ERCC). After the 7.6 M earthquake of 2 December that hit Hinatuan Municipality in Surigao Del Sur Province (Caraga Region, Mindanao, southern Philippines), more than 528,000 people have been affected, 51 are still displaced in one evacuation centre, and almost 1,900 are still pre-emptively evacuated across Caraga and Davao Regions.
• Malaysia – Floods, update (ERCC). Heavy rainfall has been affecting the Peninsular Malaysia, in particular the north-eastern State of Kelantan, since 3 December, causing floods that have resulted in more evacuated people and damage.
• India – Tropical storm MICHAUNG, update (ERCC). According to media reports, at least nine people died in Tamil Nadu State due to severe weather-related incidents, as heavy rains affected Chennai and surrounding areas. In Andra Pradesh State, authorities evacuated over 9,000 people to 236 relief camps in eight coastal districts and were preparing to evacuate 28,000 others.

Health

• An outbreak of mpox is ongoing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with 12 569 cases reported between 1 January and 12 November 2023 (ECDC). The vast majority of infections are caused by Monkeypox virus (MPXV) clade I, which is generally considered to be more virulent than MPXV clade II, which has been driving the multi-country epidemic of mpox in 2022-23. Currently, there is no evidence that MPXV clade I is circulating outside certain central African countries.
• Mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Practice Enhanced Precautions (CDC). There is an outbreak of mpox in 22 out of 26 provinces, including urban areas, in the DRC. Person-to-person transmission has occurred during this outbreak, including through sexual contact, household contact, and within the healthcare setting. Vaccination against mpox is recommended for people with certain risk factors. Travelers should avoid close contact with sick people, avoid contact with contaminated materials, avoid contact with dead or live wild animals, avoid eating, preparing, or consuming meat or products derived from wild animals.
• Zimbabwe – Cholera Outbreak (ERCC). As of 3 December, Zimbabwe has recorded 10 263 suspected cholera cases, 1 409 confirmed cases (total 11 672 cases) and 230 deaths. The number of recorded weekly new cases remain above 1 000 and the crude mortality rate above expected standard, with a record 18 deaths recorded last week.
• Somalia – Floods, update (ERCC). The humanitarian impact continues to increase following the overflow of some rivers, floods and flash floods that have been hitting several parts of Somalia since the beginning of the Deyr rainy season, from early October to December. As of 4 December, according to UN OCHA, 110 people died, more than 2.4 million people have been affected, and over 1 million have been displaced across at least 36 districts. Suspected cases of cholera were reported, and concern continues to grow over the spread of water-borne diseases.

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.

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