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 

• In its latest report, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (UN News) has verified 30,457 civilian casualties since 24 February 2022, including 10,582 killed and 19,875 injured, with the actual numbers likely to be significantly higher. Millions have been displaced, thousands have lost their homes, and hundreds of medical and educational institutions have been damaged or destroyed, significantly impacting people’s rights to health and education.
• Myanmar’s military government imposes of a mandatory draft this month (UN News).  Men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 can now be drafted into the army, though “professional” men and women up to the ages of 45 and 35, respectively, also may be conscripted. The plan is to enroll 5,000 people per month starting in April. Those who evade military service, or help others to do so, are subject to up to five years imprisonment.
• Ghana moves closer to passing bill that would crack down on LGBT rights (Reuters). Ghana’s parliament on Wednesday moved a step closer to holding a vote on a bill that seeks to further clamp down on the rights of LGBT people, rejecting a proposal that would have seen jail terms for gay sex replaced with non-custodial sentences such as counseling.
• Slayings of tourists and Colombian women expose the dark side of Medellin’s tourism boom (AP News). The tourism boom in Medellin has presented officials with a new set of dark challenges, including an uptick in sex trafficking and the killing of tourists and Colombian women after rendezvous on dating apps.
• Mexican police confirm grisly gang video showing bodies kicked, burned and shot (AP News). Authorities in Mexico said Wednesday they have largely confirmed the contents of a grisly drug cartel video showing gunmen shooting, kicking and burning the corpses of their enemies.

Infrastructure 

• Venezuela – Illegal mine collapse (ERCC). On 20 February, an illegal open pit mine – Bulla Loca in La Paragua, Bolivar State – collapsed, according to preliminary reports, following heavy rains in the area. So far, two deaths have been confirmed. However, it is estimated that at least 30 people have died and at least 100 more have been trapped as a result of the collapse.
• Cyber-attack hits Malawi’s immigration service (BBC). Malawi’s government has suspended the issuing of passports following a cyber-attack on the immigration service’s computer network.
• South Korea hospitals on red alert as doctors ramp up protests (Reuters on MSN.com). Emergency departments at all but one of South Korea’s biggest hospitals were on red alert on Thursday as trainee doctors vowed to stay off the job in protest at government plans to increase medical school admissions to boost the healthcare sector.
• Earlier this week, the World Food Program suspended aid deliveries to northern Gaza (WaPo), citing lack of security. Aid agencies have warned that hunger and disease can be a deadly combination: The besieged enclave’s health-care system has collapsed, and poor water and sanitation services have contributed to disease outbreaks.

Environment 

• Indonesia – Strong winds (ERCC). Strong winds have affected West Java Province in Indonesia, on 21 February, causing casualties and damage.
• Bolivia – Landslide and severe weather (ERCC). Heavy rainfall has been affecting western Bolivia since 19 February causing landslides that have resulted in casualties and damage.
• Thousands ordered to flee while they can as bushfire burns in Australia’s south (Yahoo News). More than two thousand people have been ordered to evacuate from towns in the west of Australia’s Victoria state due to a bushfire burning out of control on Thursday.

Health 

• Cambodia reports another human H5N1 avian flu case as Hong Kong notes H9 infection (CIDRAP). An investigation found that about 5 days before the patient’s symptoms began, there were seven dead chickens at her home. Cambodia has now reported 5 cases this year, which follow a rise that began last year. Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection (CHP) today reported an influenza AH9 case, which involves a 22-month-old girl who had recently visited the city of Zhongshan in mainland China’s Guangdong province.
• More than half the world faces high measles risk, WHO says (Reuters). Measles is a highly contagious, airborne virus that mostly affects children under five years old. It can be prevented by two doses of vaccine. Measles cases have been increasing across most regions mainly due to missed vaccinations during the COVID-19 years when health systems were overwhelmed and fell behind on routine vaccinations for preventable diseases.
• Climate change, poor sewage systems, unchecked border crossings driving Southern Africa cholera outbreaks (Al Jazeera). A severe cholera outbreak is currently ravaging communities in Southern Africa, spreading across borders in what experts say is the worst such crisis involving the illness that the region has seen in a decade.

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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