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 

• Sweden mourns victims of deadliest gun attack, suspect’s motive unknown (Reuters) – Survivors of Sweden’s worst mass shooting on Wednesday recalled trying to save the lives of their comrades at a school for adults in Orebro, a day after a gunman killed 11 people on what the prime minister called a “dark day” in the country’s history. 
• Mexican troops deployed to border as part of deal to pause US tariffs (Reuters) – Hundreds of Mexican soldiers were mobilized on Tuesday to the border with the United States as part of an agreement that halted U.S. tariffs on Mexican imports under the condition the Latin American country cracks down on fentanyl trafficking. 
• Rwanda-backed rebels have seized another town in eastern Congo (AP News) – The M23 rebels on Monday announced the ceasefire on humanitarian grounds after pleas for the safe passage of aid and hundreds of thousands of displaced people. But Congo’s government has described the ceasefire as “false communication,” and the United Nations has noted reports of heavy fighting with Congolese forces in the mineral-rich region. 
• Hundreds of women raped and burned to death after Goma prison set on fire (The Guardian) – Hundreds of women were raped and burned alive during the chaos after a Rwandan-backed rebel group entered the Congolese city of Goma last week. The female inmates were attacked in their wing inside Goma’s Munzenze prison during a mass jailbreak, according to a senior UN official. 
• Soldiers from El Salvador join UN-backed mission in Haiti to combat gang violence (Associated Press) – A military contingent from El Salvador arrived in Haiti on Tuesday to bolster a U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police to help fight gangs that killed thousands of people last year and control much of the capital. 

Infrastructure 

• Travel chaos in Italy as flights cancelled due to nationwide strike and fire (Euronews) – Flights have been cancelled in Italy’s major airports due to nationwide strikes and a fire on Wednesday morning. 

Environment 

• Brazil – Severe weather (ERCC) – As of 3 February, 26 fatalities, where the worst affected is the Ipatinga municipality with ten fatalities. In addition, the same source also reports more than 400 evacuated people in a numbers of temporary shelters, and nearly 3,700 displaced people across 141 municipality throughout the state. 
• Argentina – Wildfire (ERCC) – A wildfire, started on 30 January, has been burning close to El Bolsón town, Río Negro province, central Argentina, northern Patagonia resulting in casualties and evacuations. According to media, one person died and more than 800 people have been evacuated and several houses have been destroyed by the event. 
• Greece – Seismic activity, update (ERCC) – According to local authorities, the number of voluntarily evacuated people from Santorini has risen to more than 11,000 people, most of them are residents while others are visitors. In addition, the island of Amorgs is on high alert and contingency plans have also been prepared in case of power outages. 

Health 

• Uganda – Ebola outbreak (ERCC) – Since the announcement of the Ebola outbreak on 30 January 2025 following the death of a male nurse at the national referral hospital on 29 January, six more people have tested positive including two health workers. MoH reports that 500 health staff have been vaccinated. 2,460 vaccines are currently available for 1,230 persons. Response pillars have been activated rapidly by the MoH who is finalizing a three month-response plan to be introduced on 8 February.  
• Flies in hospital wards may be spreading drug-resistant bacteria to patients (The Guardian) – Scientists in Nigeria found the insects carry infections resistant to last-resort antibiotics, adding to fears about superbugs. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), when pathogens such as bacteria and viruses develop resistance to the drugs used to tackle them, is a global threat that is forecast to kill more than 39 million people before 2050. 
• PAHO warns of rise of yellow fever in the Americas (CIDRAP). Yellow fever infections are on the rise in several Americas countries, with the virus expanding its reach outside the zone where cases are typically reported, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said yesterday in an epidemiologic alert. 

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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