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 

• US embassy warns of imminent attack in Moscow by ‘extremists’ (Reuters). The U.S. embassy in Russia warned that “extremists” had imminent plans for an attack in Moscow, hours after Russian security services said they had foiled a planned shooting at a synagogue by a cell from the Afghan arm of Islamic State. The embassy, which has repeatedly urged all U.S. citizens to leave Russia immediately, gave no further details about the nature of the threat, but said people should avoid concerts and crowds and be aware of their surroundings. 
• Gunmen kidnap 227 pupils from school in Nigeria (Reuters). Gunmen in Nigeria kidnapped more than 200 school pupils in the northern town of Kuriga on Thursday, a teacher, local councillor and parents of the missing children said, in the biggest mass abduction from a school since 2021. 
• Kyrgyzstan – Border Region with Tajikistan – Level 1: Reconsider Travel (DOS). Reissued after periodic review with edits to the area of higher risks in the border region with Tajikistan. Reconsider travel to areas within approximately 30 kilometers of the border with Tajikistan due to intermittent cross-border tensions and violent clashes. Armed violence may occur with little or no warning. Travelers are at heightened risk of injury or death when visiting or transiting that region.  
• Ecuador – Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution (DOS). Updated with information about the current state of emergency and crime information in the province of Guayas. Exercise increased caution in Ecuador due to civil unrest, crime, and kidnapping. Some areas have increased risk. U.S. embassy and consulate personnel are prohibited from traveling to some areas due to increased risk. 
• US military airlifts embassy personnel from Haiti, bolsters security (Reuters). The U.S. military said on Sunday it has carried out an operation in Haiti to airlift non-essential embassy personnel from the country and added U.S. forces to bolster embassy security, as the Caribbean nation reels under a state of emergency. The operation was the latest sign of Haiti’s troubles as gang violence threatens to bring down the government and has led thousands to flee their homes. 
• Kenyan activists are on a mission to end gender-based violence as attacks on women surge (AP News)There is a silent epidemic of gender-based violence in Kenya, where almost 60 women have been killed since the beginning of the year, according to the government.

Demonstrations

• Germany: Protest against Tesla plans to expand ‘Gigafactory’ (dw on MSN.com). The demonstrations just added to the automaker’s headache over plans to expand its assembly plant near Berlin. It had already shut its plant for several days due to apparent sabotage.
• Germany: GDL train drivers’ union announces next rail strike (dw on MSN.com). The GDL trade union has called on members to go on strike for 24 hours, with passenger trains affected from early on Tuesday. Trains and planes in Germany have been facing regular disruption for months now.
• Protesters hurl firebombs as Greek lawmakers prepare to vote for private universities (AP News)Protesters hurled gasoline bombs and firecrackers at police outside Greece’s parliament Friday after thousands attended a demonstration against government plans to introduce privately run universities.

Infrastructure

• Haiti healthcare near collapse, says UN, as state of emergency extended (Reuters). Haiti’s government on Thursday said it would extend a state of emergency around Port-au-Prince for another month as gang violence that has threatened to bring down the government and led thousands to flee their homes appeared to show no sign of abating. 
• South Korea Deploys Military Surgeons to Public Hospitals as Doctors Strike Drags On (Time on MSN.com). South Korean authorities, increasingly desperate as over 90% of the country’s junior doctors have gone on strike, are looking to the military to help.
• A ship bearing humanitarian aid was making preparations to leave Cyprus and head for Gaza (AP News), the European Commission president said Friday as international donors launched a sea corridor to supply the besieged territory that is facing widespread hunger after five months of war.
• Hong Kong Publishes New Draft of Security Law (Reuters). The bill broadens the definition of sedition and violation of state secrecy and requires tougher sentences for people convicted of those and other crimes, lawyers analyzing the draft told Reuters. Investors are watching the bill as an indication of how China’s recent security crackdown will affect business in Hong Kong.

Environment

• Brazil – Severe weather and floods (ERCC). The number of displaced people and damage continues to rise, following the heavy rainfall that has been affecting Acre State in western Brazil since 25 February, causing flooding and rivers overflow. 
• Indonesia – Floods and landslides (ERCC). Heavy rainfall has been affecting central and southern Indonesia (in particular Sulawesi, the Java Island and the Lesser Sunda Islands) over the past few days, causing floods, rivers overflow and landslides that have resulted in casualties and damage. 
• Türkiye – Severe weather (ERCC). Heavy rainfall and strong winds have been affecting southern Türkiye (in particular the coastal Province of Antalya), since 5 March, causing floods and a number of severe weather-related incidents (particularly due to strong wind) that have resulted in casualties and damage. 
• France – Seven People Missing After Severe Floods in Gard, Ardèche and Var (Floodlist). Rescuers in France are searching for at least seven people reported missing following severe flooding in the south of the country. 
• Switzerland – Snow avalanche (ERCC). An avalanche occurred near the Arolla Village in Evolène Municipality in Canton of Valais, southern Switzerland, on 9 March, causing casualties. Over the next 24 hours, high to considerable avalanche risk have been issued for the Canton of Valais. Drier conditions are expected in the affected area over the next 24 hours. 
• Italy – Severe weather (ERCC). Heavy rainfalls and heavy snowfalls have been affecting northern Italy in particular Aosta Valley, Piedmont, Liguria and Veneto Regions over the past few days, causing floods, landslides and snow avalanches that have resulted in casualties and damage. 
• In Bolivia, heavy rains prompt authorities to declare state of emergency (Reuters). Heavy rain in Bolivia’s capital, La Paz, prompted authorities to declare a state of emergency, a government document showed on Sunday, after overflowing rivers destroyed many houses over the weekend.

Health

• Heterosexual transmission found in DR Congo mpox outbreak (CIDRAP). An outbreak in the DRC’s South Kivu province has been under way since August 2023. The outbreak is centered in Kamituga, and scientists have identified a distinct clade 1 mpox strain, which may be a novel subgroup. An international research team published its findings this week in medRxiv, a preprint server hosting studies that are not yet peer-reviewed. 
• Reports show sexually transmitted infections surging in Europe (CIDRAP). New data released today by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) show a surge in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) across the continent.  
• Oropouche virus cases rise in parts of Brazil, Peru (CIDRAP). Brazil and Peru continue to report more infections involving Oropouche virus, which causes symptoms similar to dengue and is spread by biting midges and certain types of mosquitoes, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said yesterday in an update.  
• Argentina fights against vast swarms of mosquitoes blamed for dengue surge (The Guardian). According to the health ministry, 74,555 cases of dengue have been registered in the country since the beginning of the year, a whopping 2,153% higher than the same period in 2023. Forty-seven people have died of it in 2024, and health officials expect cases to continuing surging over the coming weeks.  
• With a million cases of dengue so far this year, Brazil is in a state of emergency (NPR). At least six Brazilian states in addition to the Federal District are facing dengue epidemics and 17 cities have declared a state of emergency as the country has already registered 1 million cases of dengue in the first two months of 2024, more than half the 1.6 million cases confirmed last year — which was already almost 18% higher than in 2022. The fatality count in those same two months was 214.  
• Five African countries report more vaccine-derived polio cases (CIDRAP). In West Africa, Guinea confirmed 1 case, which was reported from Kindia and is included in its total for 2023, which is now at 47. Mali reported 3 cases in Bamako, Menaka, and Kayes, lifting its 2023 total to 15. Nigeria reported 8 cases, including 3 to add to its 2023 total. Four cases were in Kano, with the others in Sokoto, Katsina, and Kebbi. 

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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