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 

• Two mayoral hopefuls of a Mexican city are shot dead within hours of each other (AP News). Two mayoral hopefuls in the Mexican city of Maravatío have been gunned down within hours of each other, as experts warn the June 2 national elections could be the country’s most violent on record.
• Burundi rebel group kills nine in overnight attack – government (Reuters). Gunmen from the Red Tabara rebel group killed nine people and injured others in an overnight attack in western Burundi near the border with Democratic Republic of Congo, a government spokesperson told reporters on Monday.
• 7 people in the Cayman Islands are seriously injured by gunfire at a soccer game, police say (AP News). At least seven people were shot at a crowded soccer match in the Cayman Islands and were hospitalized with serious injuries, police said Monday.
• China Expands State Secrets Law for First Time Since 2010 (Reuters). Chinese lawmakers have expanded a state secrets law for the first time since 2010, widening the scope of restricted sensitive information to “work secrets”, according to a full text of the law published online. State secrets in China currently involve areas ranging from government and Communist Party decision-making to military and diplomatic activities, as well as economic development, science and technology.

Demonstrations

• Nigeria’s union workers are on strike nationwide over soaring inflation and unmet promises (AP). Nigeria’s government employees and other union workers began a new nationwide strike Tuesday that threatened to shut down key services while people are angry about soaring inflation and growing economic pain.
• South Korea Hits Back at Striking Doctors With Criminal Complaint Against 5 Alleged Leaders (Time on MSN.com). As South Korea’s health care system reels from a doctors’ strike that has left hospitals desperately understaffed for a little over a week now, authorities have issued their first legal crackdown on alleged organizers of the collective action.
• Greeks strike to mark train crash anniversary and demand justice (Reuters on MSN.com)Thousands of striking Greek workers and students marched through central Athens on Wednesday to mark the anniversary of the country’s deadliest train crash – and demand justice and bigger pay rises. The 24-hour strike halted transportation services in the capital and in ports near Athens.
• Thousands of farmers march in Poland’s capital to protest Ukrainian imports and EU policies (Associated Press on MSN.com). Thousands of farmers are gathering in the Polish capital to protest the European Union’s agricultural policies and the imports of cheap food from Ukraine.

Infrastructure 

• Army ban on cross-border aid endangers lives in Darfur, say activists (Reuters). Millions of people in Sudan’s Darfur region are at risk of dying of hunger after a decision by the Sudanese government to prohibit aid deliveries through Chad, an advocacy group for internally displaced people said on Tuesday.
• Volcanic ash forces some airlines to suspend flights from Mexico City (Reuters). Mexico City International Airport on Tuesday said airlines have canceled 22 domestic and international flights to carry out safety checks after planes encountered ash from the Popocatepetl volcano while flying toward the capital.
• A ferry sinks in the Nile in Egypt, killing at least 10 people (AP). A ferry carrying day laborers sank in the Nile just outside the Egyptian capital, killing at least 10 of the 15 people on board, authorities said Monday.

Environment

• Mexico – Volcanic eruption (ERCC). Popocatépetl volcano, located in the States of Puebla, Morelos, and Mexico, central Mexico erupted on 27 February and the ash plume reached up to 2,000 m above the crater. 
• Indonesia – Floods and landslide, update (ERCC). Over the past few days, heavy rainfall has been affecting Java, Sumatra and Kalimantan Islands, causing floods and resulting in displacement and damage. 
• Bolivia – Severe weather (ERCC). Heavy rainfall has been affecting a number of Departments of Bolivia, in particular the La Paz and Pando Departments since November 2023, causing floods, rivers overflow and a number of severe weather-related incidents that have resulted in casualties and damage. 
• Brazil – Floods (ERCC). Heavy rainfall has been affecting western Brazil, in particular the Acre State, bordering with Peru and Bolivia since 25 February, causing floods and rivers overflow, that have resulted in population evacuation and damage. 
• Italy – Severe weather. Heavy rainfall, snow and strong winds have been affecting most parts of northern and central Italy, causing floods, triggering landslides, and resulting in damage. 
• Aruba issues alert after oil spill reached neighboring Bonaire (Reuters). The Caribbean island of Aruba issued an alert on Tuesday after an oil spill that was first spotted near Tobago spread to neighboring Bonaire, threatening its mangrove forests and national parks.

Health 

• Amid cholera outbreaks, desperate countries face depleted global vaccine stockpile (CIDRAP). The world’s stockpile of cholera vaccine lies empty just as 16 countries battle outbreaks of the deadly bacterial illness, Reuters reports. 
• Peru declares dengue health emergency (CIDRAP). Peru’s health ministry yesterday declared a dengue emergency for 20 of the country’s 25 regions, a step that allows the government to free up more resources to support its response. 
• Dengue cases in Mexico continue to explode; 74% are in Guerrero (Mexico News Daily) Cases of dengue virus, a mosquito-borne tropical disease, continue to rise in Mexico with the state of Guerrero leading the way.
• PAHO rates Western equine encephalitis risk in the Americas as moderate. Several factors may be contributing to the increase, including the El Nino weather pattern and climate change effects.
• Avian flu reaches Antarctica’s mainland (CIDRAP). The birds were found near a polar research base on the northern tip of Antarctica. Over the past several months, animal health groups have warned about the threat of further spread of H5N1 to Antarctica’s wildlife, especially since they haven’t been exposed to the virus before and often live in densely packed colonies.

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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