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

• In Mali, on 17 February 6 civilians (four men, a woman, and a child) were instantly killed by an Improvised explosive device (IED) in Mondoro (Douentza) in the Mopti region (ERCC). On 16 February, in a similar accident in Niono region (Ségou), a child died on the spot; his father was severely wounded. Radical armed groups plant IEDs in reaction to military operations. While not targeting civilians, IEDs have been causing disruption and deaths.
• Trudeau to deploy Navy vessels to Haiti as Canada, U.S. announce new sanctions (Reuters). Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday said he would deploy Royal Canadian Navy vessels off the coast of Haiti in the coming weeks, in the midst of the island’s humanitarian and security crisis.

Demonstrations

• Protesters storm Suriname parliament over high fuel prices (ABC News). Last Friday, hundreds of demonstrators stormed Suriname’s parliament, broke windows and looted nearby businesses to protest high fuel and electricity prices in the South American nation. Protesters in the capital, Paramaribo, overwhelmed police who had fired tear gas to try to control the crowd. It wasn’t immediately clear if there were injuries in the melee.
• Women’s Protest in Cameroon Pushes Military to Release Detained Youths (Voice of America). The military said the youths were detained during raids a week ago in the Southwest town of Ekona, where separatist fighters were hiding.
• Police fire tear gas at supporters of Senegal opposition leader Sonko (Reuters on MSN.com). Police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of supporters of Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko on Thursday after he left court in the capital Dakar where hearings are underway in a libel case against him.
• Hundreds of flights axed as German airport staff strike (Yahoo News). Tens of thousands of travellers faced flight delays and cancellations Friday as workers at eight airports in Germany went on strike to demand better pay.
• RCN warns fresh strike will have ‘significant impact’ on NHS (London Evening Standard on MSN.com). The Royal College of Nursing has announced walk-outs at more than 120 NHS employers in England in an escalation of its row over pay and staffing.
• Protests hit multiple Iran cities for first time in weeks (AP). Protesters in Iran marched through the streets of multiple cities overnight in the most widespread demonstration in weeks amid the monthslong unrest that’s gripped the Islamic Republic, online videos purported to show Friday.

Natural Disasters

• A low-pressure area has been affecting at least seven Regions of the Philippines since the past week (ERCC), causing floods, landslides and severe weather-related incidents that resulted in casualties and damage.
• Heavy rain has been affecting São Paulo State in Brazil over the past few days (ERCC), causing floods, triggering landslides and resulting in casualties and damage.
• Heavy rainfall has been affecting central-Indonesia (in particular the Java Island) over the past few days (ERCC), causing floods and river overflows that have resulted in evacuations and damage.
• The number of casualties continues to increase in the North Island of New Zealand (ERCC), after being impacted by floods and landslides caused by heavy rainfall related to post-Tropical Cyclone GABRIELLE.
• SA floods kills 13, thousands displaced from their homes (The EastAfrican). South Africa declared a national state of disaster this week after floods hit seven of its nine provinces, damaged infrastructure and destroyed crops.

Health

• Following the earthquake in southern Türkiye on 6 February, search and rescue operations ended last week, due to the unlikeliness of still finding people alive (ECDC). Above-ground and underground water infrastructure as well as other utility infrastructure (e.g. electricity) are significantly damaged. These, together with the decreased access to clean water, refrigeration, and cooking systems may facilitate the transmission of food- and waterborne infections. A surge of cholera cases in the affected areas is a significant possibility in the coming weeks. As survivors are moved to camp sites or temporary settlements, where crowding cannot be avoided particularly in cold weather, the risk of outbreaks from respiratory viruses increases. As in the case of respiratory viral infections, crowding conditions in temporary settlements or shelters can increase the risk of transmission of vaccine-preventable diseases such as diphtheria, measles, meningitis, and varicella. Poliomyelitis is of concern in the area. According to the latest figures from the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency on February 16 (ERCC), 38 044 people lost their lives and 108 068 people have been injured by the devastating earthquake that hit the Gaziantep province, Türkiye, on 6 February.
• According to social media, quoting a report from the Ministry of Health of Cameroon, as of 16 February 2023 (ECDC), seven suspected cases reported in Cameroon all tested negative. So far, no suspected cases have been reported from Gabon.
• The CDC has issued a Watch Level 1 advisory for Equatorial Guinea due to an outbreak of Marburg virisu disease, (CDC). The CDC recommends travelers to Equatorial Guinea to isolate and seek medical care immediately if they develop fever, chills, muscle pain, rash, sore throat, diarrhea, weakness, vomiting, stomach pain, or unexplained bleeding or bruising during or after travel (up to 21 days).
• Shigellosis outbreak reported in travelers returning from Cabo Verde (CIDRAP). There have been 221 confirmed Shigella sonnei infections and 37 possible cases from the EU, UK, and US. Shigellosis is a gastrointestinal condition. Symptoms range from mild diarrhea to severe dysentery, and infection is commonly due to exposure to contaminated food or water, but transmission can also occur through direct person-to-person contact.
• More Latin American nations report H5N1 avian flu in wild birds (CIDRAP). Argentina, Bolivia, Guatemala, and Uruguay reported their first highly pathogenic H5N1 detections in different wild bird species, as part of an ongoing southward expansion in the Americas of a virus that is hitting birds, with some jumps to mammals, in multiple world regions.

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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