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 

• At least 10 people dead in Syria as gunmen target civilians in Tartus and Homs (Arab News) – A 12-year-old boy was among four people killed on Monday in Syria’s Tartus province, a coastal region home to a majority Alawite population, provincial officials said in a statement. The attackers, who remain unidentified and at large, opened fire in Haref Nemra, a village in the Baniyas countryside in Tartus.  
• China launches military drills around Taiwan (Reuters) – China staged military drills off Taiwan’s north, south and east coasts on Tuesday as a “stern warning” against separatism and called Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te a “parasite,” as Taiwan sent warships to respond to China’s navy approaching its shores. 
• Israel kills Hezbollah official in deadly Beirut airstrike (Reuters). An Israeli airstrike killed four people including a Hezbollah official in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Tuesday, a Lebanese security source said, further testing a shaky ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah. 
• Gang members stormed the town of Mirebalais in central Haiti on Monday and released about 500 inmates from prison (BBC). Police officials said they had regained control of Mirebalais, but local reports warned that many of the escaped inmates were still roaming the streets. Armed gangs are in control of almost the entire capital, but this latest attack seems to suggest that they are increasingly targeting towns in other areas of the country.  

Demonstrations 

• Zimbabweans stay at home amid fears demonstrations could turn violent (MSN). A heavy security presence in several cities across Zimbabwe largely neutralised a national protest on Monday aimed at pressurising President Emmerson Mnangagwa to resign. 

Infrastructure 

• Dozens in hospital in Malaysia after towering blaze on Petronas gas pipeline (Reuters) – Scores of people in Malaysia were being treated in hospitals on Tuesday after a huge fire broke out at a gas pipeline operated by state energy giant Petronas, showering flaming debris from the sky and shattering windows. Authorities said the blaze in the town of Puchong on the outskirts of the capital Kuala Lumpur had been extinguished by mid-afternoon. They said at least 305 people were affected, including those left homeless after some 190 homes were damaged. 
• Water and medicine in short supply after Myanmar earthquake, says UN (Reuters) – Shelter, clean water and medicine are in short supply following the earthquake in Myanmar that has caused significant structural damage and had a devastating human toll, the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Tuesday. 

Environment 

• Myanmar – Earthquakes (ERCC) – As of 1 April, media reports more than 3,000 fatalities. The worst affected area is Mandalay city with nearly 1,800 fatalities. UN OCHA and MSF report over 300 people still missing, some 3,900 injured, and more than 13,000 displaced across the country. More than 10,000 buildings collapsed or were severely damaged. In Thailand, As of 31 March, there are 18 fatalities, 78 people missing and 34 injured. The worst affected area is Bangkok. In China, two people were injured in Yunnan province. 
• Ecuador – Severe weather and oil spillover (ERCC) – As of 31 March, 22 fatalities, 98 injured people, and a total of more than 144,650 affected people (with a large part of these displaced) across the country. In addition, the same source also reports 168 destroyed houses and nearly 36,250 damaged houses throughout the affected area. 
• Argentina – Floods (ERCC) – As of March 31, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) reports that 2,000 people have been affected. Local authorities activated emergency protocols and conducted immediate evacuations in high-risk areas. 
• Bolivia – Severe weather and floods (ERCC) – As of 1 April, 51 fatalities, nearly 378,900 affected families, 818 destroyed and approximately 2,600 damaged houses across 209 municipalities throughout nine departments in the country. 
• Severe storms cause flooding and destruction on Greek islands of Mykonos and Paros (Euronews) – Forecasters warned that further severe weather was on the way, with heavy rain to hit the Aegean islands, particularly the Cyclades, where a red warning was imposed until early Tuesday. 

Health 

• Cholera spreading across Angola, with more than 8,500 cases (CIDRAP) – As of March 25, officials have recorded 8,543 cholera cases and 329 deaths (case-fatality rate [CFR], 3.9%), with one third of deaths occurring in the community and outside of medical treatment centers. The CFR for hospitalized cases is 2.5%, with 253 patients currently hospitalized. Luanda (48.5%) and Bengo (29.1%) provinces have the highest burden of disease.  

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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