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

• Myanmar – Air strike on school (ERCC). An airstrike by the Myanmar military on a school in Daw Si Ei village in Kayah State on 5 February left 4 children dead and 10 injured. The school teaches children aged 5-14 years of age. The air strike destroyed 90% of the school building.
• Gaza war enters fifth month amid reports of potential ceasefire deal (UN News). As the devastating Gaza-Israel war entered its fifth month on Wednesday leaving a reported 27,585 Palestinians dead and nearly 70,000 injured, the UN’s top humanitarian official welcomed early indications of a “potential breakthrough” in negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of all remaining hostages. Exclusive: Hamas proposes three-stage ceasefire over 135 days, leading to end of war (Reuters). Hamas has proposed a ceasefire plan that would quiet the guns in Gaza for four-and-a-half months leading to an end to the war, in response to a proposal sent last week by Qatari and Egyptian mediators and backed by the United States and Israel.
• Blasts in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu kill at least 10 – residents (Reuters). Several blasts at a popular open-air market in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu killed at least 10 people and left many others injured on Tuesday, local residents told Reuters.
• Brussels launches legal action against Hungary’s controversial ‘sovereignty law’ (Euronews). The legislation, spearheaded by Viktor Orbán’s ruling party and approved by the parliament in mid-December, empowers the state to investigate people and organisations suspected of undermining the country’s sovereignty, with potential convictions of up to three years in prison. The provisions of the law, particularly its broad-yet-vague mandate and lack of judicial oversight, have raised serious concerns from civil society and independent journalists.
• Former rebel leader arrives in Haiti’s capital as protests against prime minister gain momentum (AP News). A former rebel leader made a surprise appearance in Haiti’s capital on Tuesday amid large protests across the country for the second consecutive day, demanding the ouster of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
• Juarez reports second quadruple murder in less than a week (BorderReports). A mass shooting has claimed the lives of four men in a Juarez, Mexico, neighborhood, the second quadruple murder in four days in a city that recorded 124 homicides this past January – the most in a month since August 2022.
• Two explosions today in the area of election offices in Balochistan province together killed ( Dawn) at least twenty-eight people, officials said. The strikes come as Pakistan has experienced a recent uptick in terrorism, and prepares to hold general elections tomorrow. 
• Russia launched missile strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities this week (Reuters), killing three people, injuring at least a dozen more and setting blazes across the capital.

Demonstrations

• Germany: Lufthansa ground staff begin 27-hour strike (Deutsche Welle). Lufthansa staff at Frankfurt and Munich airports have started strike action set to last for more than a day. Only about 10%-20% of flights are expected to operate from Germany’s two largest hubs.
• Spanish farmers blockade roads with burning tyres and tractors (Associated Press). Spanish farmers blocked major roads with tractors and burning tyres on Wednesday, disrupting access to port terminals as anger spreads in Europe’s countryside against high costs, bureaucracy and competition from outside the European Union.
• Protesters block Oaxaca-Puerto Escondido highway day after it opens (Mexico News Daily). Less than 24 hours after its inauguration, the 104-kilometer highway between Oaxaca city and Puerto Escondido was blocked on Monday by residents of the Los Coatlanes area in the Sierra Sur. Truckers strike against highway insecurity across Mexico (Mexico News Daily). Truckers went on strike across Mexico on Monday to protest insecurity on highways and demand action from authorities to remedy the situation.

Environment

• Nepal (ERCC). Nepal is one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries due to its location and climatic conditions. The intensity and frequency of some of these disasters are increasing due to climate change.
• Indonesia – Floods and landslides (ERCC). Heavy rainfall has been affecting central Indonesia, in particular the Java Island, since 5 February, causing floods and landslides that have resulted in casualties and damage.
• Japan – Severe weather (ERCC). Heavy snowfall has affected eastern Japan since 5 February, in particular Tokyo City, resulting in casualties and damage.
• China – Severe weather (ERCC). Heavy snowfall and ice have been affecting central and eastern China since 6 February, particularly the Provinces of Hubei, Hunan and Anhui, resulting in casualties and damage.
• Philippines – Landslide (ERCC). On 6 February, a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall occured in Maco Municipality in Davao de Oro Province, Mindanao Island, southern Philippines, resulting in casualties and damage.
• USA – Severe weather, update (ERCC). Severe weather, including heavy rainfall and strong winds, has been affecting southern and central California State since 4 February, causing floods, landslides and several severe weather related incidents that have resulted in casualties and damage.
• Landslide strikes buses and homes in southern Philippines, leaving 27 miners missing (AP News). A search was underway Wednesday for 27 miners missing after a landslide struck buses and houses in a gold-mining village in the southern Philippines, officials said.

Health

• Watch – Oropouche Fever in Brazil (CDC). There is an outbreak of Oropouche fever in the Amazonas and Acre states of Brazil. Travelers to these states of Brazil should take steps to avoid bug bites. Travelers should seek medical care if they develop high fever, headache, muscle aches, stiff joints, nausea, vomiting, chills, or sensitivity to light during or after travel. PAHO warns about rise in Oropouche fever cases (CIDRAP). In Brazil, Amazonas state is the hot spot, but health officials are also investigating cases in Acre and Roraima states. Several countries in the Americas have reported Oropouche fever cases, including Brazil, Ecuador, French Guiana, Panama, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago. The virus can trigger outbreaks in both rural and urban settings.
• Somalia – Cholera outbreaks (ERCC). 426 new cholera cases and 9 deaths were reported during the third week of January 2024, bringing the cumulative figure since the beginning of the year to 1,401 cases and 18 deaths. The 1.3% case fatality ratio (CFR) is above the WHO emergency threshold (≥1%). Most cases were reported in Hirshabelle State, which suffered massive flooding from October to December 2023. Suspected cases reported also in Somaliland.
• Maryland and Ohio confirm new measles cases (CIDRAP). The new cases come after the CDC urged health providers to watch for fever and rash in people who had traveled overseas.

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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