World Status Report

December 5, 2024

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. 

Security 

  • Extremist rebels linked to IS kill at least 9 and kidnap 3 in eastern Congo (AP News) – Rebels with the Allied Democratic Forces attacked civilians in Tenambo village in the North Kivu province on Tuesday evening, Colonel Mak Hazukay, spokesperson for the Congolese army said in a statement, calling on residents to remain vigilant and temporarily avoid isolated places. 
  • Syria – Escalation of hostilities, spillover effects in Northeast Syria (ERCC) – The ongoing conflict in Northwest Syria has already displaced thousands of families. While the situation is still volatile, some 125,000 people are reported having entered Northeast Syria (NES) since the beginning of the current escalation of hostilities. The situation in NES is already dire: overcrowded camps lack capacity for new arrivals, and inadequate shelters heighten health and safety risks. 
  • Guinea rights groups say 135 killed in stadium crush (Reuters) – Some 135 people were killed in a crush at a soccer stadium in southeast Guinea on Sunday, a local group of human rights organisations said, sharing an estimated death toll more than twice as high as the official toll of 56.  

Environment 

  • Haiti – Severe weather and floods (ERCC) – As of December 4, two people died and 13 others were injured in Jérémie. Moreover, two people were reported missing in the Dame-Marie commune. Furthermore, a total of 60 people have been displaced and 160 others have been affected across the department. 
  • Philippines – Floods and landslides (ERCC) – In the Bicol region, 3,752 people have been displaced, almost 19,000 people have been affected, and more than 20 houses have been affected, two totally damaged. In Western Visayas, 243 people have been displaced and 4,260 others affected. Furthermore, in South Cotabato, 1,000 persons have been affected. 
  • India – Tropical cyclone FENGAL, update (ERCC) – As of 4 December, 20 fatalities, of which 16 fatalities across the Tamil Nadu state – ten in the Tiruvannamalai city, four in the Chennai city, the capital of the state, one in the Ooty town, and one more in the Vellore city – and four fatalities in the Puducherry city, Puducherry union territory. 
  • Brazil – Severe weather, update (ERCC) – As of 4 December, 50 people have been injured, of which two severely injured, due to a strong wind-related incident occurred in Arroio do Tigre municipality, central Rio Grande do Sul state. In addition, media also reports around 50 damaged houses across the Carazinho city area, north-western Rio Grande do Sul state. Moreover, damage to infrastructures were reported in 35 cities across the state. 

Health 

  • UK orders H5 avian flu vaccine for pandemic preparedness (CIDRAP) – The UK Health Security Agency (HSA) today announced a contract with CSL Seqirus to buy more than 5 million doses of human H5 avian flu vaccine to prepare for a potential influenza pandemic. In a statement, the HSA said the vaccine will be based on a current H5 strain and is part of a longer-term plans to ensure access to vaccines for a wider range of pathogens that have pandemic potential. 

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