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 

• Chadian election officials ask military for protection ahead of vote (VOA) – Witnesses say opposition supporters have used clubs and iron bars to prevent the ruling MPS party from holding rallies in several cities and towns. The National Election Management Agency in Chad, known as ANGE, said campaigning for the parliamentary, local council and regional elections has been plagued by attempts to disrupt rallies and attacks on candidates and elections officials. 
• Burkina Faso releases four French nationals after detaining them for a year (AP News) – The four were arrested in Ouagadougou in December 2023 on what Jeune Afrique and French media reported as espionage-related charges. Their detention came at a low point in France’s relations with its former colonies in the Sahel, including Burkina Faso. After two coups, the landlocked nation of 20 million people expelled French forces and turned to Russia for security support. 
• Dozens of children killed in crush at Nigerian Christmas funfair (BBC) – Thirty-five children have been killed in a crush at a Christmas funfair in the south-west Nigerian city of Ibadan, with six others hospitalized, the police say. The organizers had promised to give cash handouts and also food but so many people turned up that there was a crush as they struggled to gain entry.  Residents said that over 5,000 children had gathered at the venue and the crush occurred when the main organizers arrived to start the event. 
• Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen’s rebel-held capital and port city after Houthi attack targets Israel (AP News) – A series of intense Israeli airstrikes shook Yemen’s rebel-held capital and a port city early Thursday and killed at least nine people, officials said, shortly after a Houthi missile targeted central Israel. Israel’s military said that it conducted two waves of strikes in a preplanned operation that began early Thursday and involved 14 fighter jets. The military said the first wave of strikes targeted Houthi infrastructure at the ports of Hodeida, Salif and the Ras Isa oil terminal on the Red Sea.  
• Israel keeps up Gaza bombardment as ceasefire talks intensify (Reuters) – U.S. and Arab mediators are working round-the-clock to hammer out a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, sources close to the talks said, while in the Gaza Strip medics said Israeli strikes had killed 41 Palestinians on Thursday. The mediators, at talks in Egypt and Qatar, are trying to forge a deal to pause the 14-month-old war in the Hamas-ruled enclave that would include a release of hostages seized from Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, along with Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. 

Environment 

• Mozambique, Mayotte, Malawi, Comoros – Tropical cyclone CHIDO, update (ERCC) – In Mozambique, WHO and UNICEF report, as of 18 December, 45 fatalities, 493 injured people, several displaced people, approximately 181,000 affected people, and according to media around 35,000 destroyed houses across the provinces of Cabo Delgado, Nampula, Niassa and Tete. In Mayotte, media report, as of the same date, 31 fatalities, and around 2, 000 injured people. DG ECHO also reports, approximately 100,000 displaced people. In Malawi, 13 fatalities, 29 injured people, 227 displaced people, and over 45,000 affected people have been reported. Furthermore in Comoros, DG ECHO reports, as of 17 December, five injured people, 140 displaced and over 64,150 affected people. 
• Indonesia – Landslides and floods (ERCC) – As of 19 December, one fatality, one injured, two displaced people, three damaged houses, and a total of 14 affected people in the Temanggung regency due to a landslide occurred on 17 December. In addition to this, 93 evacuated families, and more than 4,350 affected families across the Indramayu regency, due to floods. Moreover, ten injured people, 250 evacuated families, and nearly 500 affected families in the South Tapanuli regency due to flash floods. 
• Romania – Snowstorm (ERCC) – On 15 December, a snowstorm affected the Leaota Peak area of the Carpathian Mountains, in central Romania, causing casualties. As of 16 December, one person died, and 22 people have been affected by severe weather in the Dâmbovita county area. 

Health 

• Europe says flu, RSV on the rise and affecting health systems (CIDRAP). Today, the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) today posted an epidemiologic alert about a sharp rise in flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity in most European countries. The report said the uptake is starting to have an impact on health systems. 
• The number of mpox cases in Africa continues to rise (CIDRAP). The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reported the highest number of cases, followed by Burundi and Uganda.  
• Germany reported 4 new clade Ib mpox cases this week (CIDRAP). It was among a family that recently traveled to Africa. Two of the cases were in school-aged children, causing their school to close for a week as a precaution. 
• Bosnia’s capital Sarajevo chokes on toxic air as a thick blanket of winter fog rolls over the city (AP). Flights were grounded and people were told to stay indoors as a thick blanket of smog Thursday engulfed Bosnia’s capital of Sarajevo as residents tried to cope with toxic air.  

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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