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

• Sudan armed forces advance in Omdurman for first time since start of war (The Guardian). SAF join engineering corps in south of city where they have been besieged by RSF forces since April last year.
• A man in Iran guns down 12 relatives in a shooting rampage with a Kalashnikov rifle (AP). A 30-year-old man gunned down 12 of his relatives Saturday in a remote rural area in southeast Iran, the deadliest shooting reported in decades.
• Rebels attack a gold mine in eastern Congo, killing at least 12 people (AP). At least a dozen people were killed and 16 kidnapped by rebels at a mining site in eastern Congo, said a civil society organization on Thursday.
• Satellite photos show Egypt building a wall near Gaza Strip as Israeli offensive on Rafah looms (AP). Egypt is building a wall and is leveling land near its border with the Gaza Strip ahead of a planned Israeli offensive targeting the border city of Rafah, satellite images analyzed Friday by The Associated Press show.
• Israeli airstrikes killed 10 Lebanese civilians in a single day. Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate (AP). The civilian death toll from two Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon has risen to 10, Lebanese state media reported Thursday, making the previous day the deadliest in more than four months of cross-border exchanges.
• Israel expects to continue full-scale military operations in Gaza (Reuters) for another six to eight weeks as it prepares to mount a ground invasion of Rafah, four officials familiar with the strategy said.
• After a monthslong assault, Russian troops this weekend occupied the Ukrainian town of Avdiivka (NPR). It’s Russia’s first big battlefield win since last May, and it comes ahead of Russia’s presidential elections in March. Ukraine’s newly appointed military chief decided to withdraw troops to “preserve the lives and health of servicemen.”
• More than 400 detained in Russia at events in memory of Navalny, rights group says (Reuters). More than 400 people have been detained at events across 32 Russian cities since the death of Alexei Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s most formidable opponent, according to rights group OVD-Info, as Russians continued to gather and lay flowers.

Demonstrations

• Senegal election: Opposition supporters march in Dakar calling for swift vote (BBC). Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Senegal’s capital, Dakar, demanding swift presidential elections.
• Thousands at anti-government rally in Croatia allege high-level corruption and demand an election (AP). Thousands of people rallied in Croatia’s capital on Saturday, accusing the ruling center-right party of corruption and demanding that this year’s parliamentary election be held as soon as possible.
• Indian farmers strike to demand guaranteed crop prices as others attempt to march to New Delhi (AP)Farmers blocked highways and held demonstrations in many rural areas in northern India on Friday to protest over a range of grievances that have also led tens of thousands to march toward the capital in tractors and wagons.
• Striking truck drivers block key Mexican highways over lawlessness (Reuters). Striking truck drivers blocked key Mexican transport arteries on Thursday, jamming vital highways to protest lawlessness on the roads that has led to a rise in robberies and extortion.

Environment

• Malaysia – Floods (ERCC). Heavy rainfall has been affecting eastern Malaysia, the Malaysian part of the Borneo Island, in particular the western State of Sarawak, since 16 February, causing floods that have resulted in population evacuations and damage.
• Iraq – Floods (ERCC). Heavy rainfall has affected the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq on 15 and 16 February causing floods that resulted in evacuations and damage.
• Australia – Tropical storm LINCOLN, update (ERCC). Tropical storm LINCOLN passed over the north-eastern Northern Territory, Australia on 16 February. Its passage caused heavy rainfall and floods across western Queensland and Northern Territory, that have resulted in casualties and damage.
• Bolivia – Landslide (ERCC). On 17 February, a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall occurred in  Achocalla Municipality, La Paz Department, western Bolivia, resulting in casualties and damage.
• Ecuador – Severe weather (ERCC). Heavy rainfall has been affecting most of Ecuador since 29 January causing floods, triggering landslides and resulting in casualties and damage.
• Philippines – Landslide, update (ERCC). Following the landslide that occurred in Masara village (Maco Municipality, Davao de Oro Province, southern Philippines) on 6 February, the death toll has risen.
• Brazil – Severe weather (ERCC). Heavy rainfall has been affecting Amapá State in northern Brazil since 13 February, causing floods that have resulted in population displacement and damage.

Health

• Thailand warns of high pollution in capital, officials to work from home (Reuters). Thai authorities warned that pollution levels in Bangkok and surrounding provinces had hit unhealthy levels on Thursday, ordering government employees in the capital to work from home for thenext two days and urging others to do the same.
• ECDC – Avian influenza (H5N6).  A new case of avian influenza A(H5N6) virus infection in a 59-year-old woman was reported in Sichuan province, China, with date of onset on 25 November 2023. The patient had been to a live poultry market prior to disease onset.
• ECDC – Mpox. Since the beginning of October 2023 (previous update), and as of 12 January 2024, 353 mpox cases have been reported from 14 EU/EEA countries: Spain (128), Portugal (73), Germany (72), Italy (26), France (13), the Netherlands (12), Austria (8), Belgium (6), Ireland (5), Norway (3), Sweden (3), Hungary (2), Greece (1), and Luxembourg (1).
• ECDC – Measles.  In mid-January 2024, reports quoting preliminary UKHSA figures suggested that over 170 measles cases were diagnosed in the West Midlands region of England between December 2023 and mid-January 2024.
• ECDC warns of rising measles cases amid vaccination gaps (CIDRAP). Increased activity continues into the new year, with gaps in vaccine coverage and the season’s peak still ahead. So far this year, the ECDC has recorded an increasing number of countries reporting cases, with 2,361 reported so far, 5.4% of them imported. At least seven deaths have been reported, six from Romania and one from Ireland.
• Researchers identify episodic MERS cases in Kenyan camels, evidence of infection in people (CIDRAP). Year-long (Sep 2022 to Sep 2023) sampling of dromedary camels in northern Kenya reveals biphasic (two-phase) peaks of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and identifies more than three case clusters over 3 weeks in camels from different areas, as well as a 15% infection rate in slaughterhouse workers.

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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