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 

• Attacks by Sudan’s RSF leave many dead as force prepares political charter (NBC News) – Activists said three days of attacks by the paramilitary group had left more than 200 dead in White Nile state, which has emerged as a key battleground as the army regains territory. 
• One person killed in Israeli strike in south Lebanon, Health Ministry (ARAB News) – One person was killed in an Israeli drone strike on the southern Lebanese border town of Aita Al-Shaab, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said on Wednesday, a day after the deadline for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from south Lebanon. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. 
• Three tankers damaged by blasts in Mediterranean in the last month, causes unknown (Reuters) – Three oil tankers have been damaged by blasts in the last month in separate incidents around the Mediterranean, with the causes unknown, shipping and security sources said on Wednesday. The incidents are the first involving blast damage to non-military vessels to have taken place around the central Mediterranean in decades. 
• 260 foreigners rescued from virtual slavery in Myanmar’s online scam centers are being repatriated (AP News) – In a fresh crackdown on scam centers operating from Southeast Asia, the Thai army said it was coordinating an effort to repatriate some people believed to be victims of human trafficking after they were rescued and sent from Myanmar to Thailand. Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, which share borders with Thailand, have become known as havens for criminal syndicates who are estimated to have forced hundreds of thousands of people in Southeast Asia and elsewhere into helping run online scams including false romantic ploys, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes. 
• ELN rebels launch 3-day armed strike in Colombia’s northwest as violence in rural areas escalates (Associated Press) – Businesses shut down and public transport was at a standstill Tuesday in Colombia’s Choco department, as rebels from the National Liberation Army, or ELN, launched a three-day “armed strike” that confines civilians to their homes and restricts commercial activity. 

Environment 

• Papua New Guinea – Earthquake (ERCC) – An earthquake of 5.6 M at a depth of 10 km occurred in Woodlark island, Milne Bay Province, eastern Papua New Guinea on 19 February at 2:49 UTC (12:49 local time). The epicenter was located approximately 3 km south of Kaurai village and 9 km north-east of Kulumadau village. More than 3,000 people were exposed to strong shaking. 
• Italy – Seismic activity (ERCC) – Since 15 February, several earthquakes with maximum magnitude up to 3.9 M (on 16 and 17 February) have been registered in the Campi Flegrei area, west of Naples, southern Italy. On 19 February two earthquakes of 3.1 M (at 0.31 UTC at a depth of 2 km) and 3.0 M (at 4.15 at a depth of 2 km) in the Pisciarelli area. 
• Greece – Seismic activity (ERCC) – Seismic activity continued in the southern Aegean Sea, between the islands of Santorini (Thira) and Amorgos, south-eastern Greece. According to the National Observatory of Athens, a 5.0 M earthquake at a depth of 13  km occurred on 18 February at 04:46 UTC, 17 km south-southeast of Amorgos Island. On 17 February, the Greek Civil Protection, decided to build an escape port in Santorini to allow passenger ships to dock in case of emergency. Schools will remain closed until 21 February. 

Health 

• Uganda discharges the last Ebola patients. No new deaths from the contagious virus reported (MSN) –  Uganda discharged on Tuesday the last eight patients who recovered from Ebola, health authorities reported, and there were no other positive cases in the outbreak declared last month. World Health Organization described the recoveries as a milestone that “reflects the power of Uganda’s quick and coordinated response.” 
• H9N2 avian flu sickens 2 adults in China (CIDRAP) – China has reported two more human infections involving H9N2 avian flu, and, unlike most earlier patients, the latest are adults, according to a weekly avian flu update from the Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection. The developments follow two H9N2 reports from China last week, involving a child and a teen who were from Hunan province. 
• H5N5 avian flu detected in Canadian poultry flock, UK seals (CIDRAP) – Highly pathogenic H5N5 avian flu has been detected in a backyard poultry flock in Newfoundland and Labrador, according to information submitted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), as well as in UK seals. The poultry outbreak at Gander Bay began on January 15 and killed all 34 birds at the location. 

Humanitarian 

• Civilians at breaking point in eastern DR Congo warns top aid official (UN News) – “The rapid and uninterrupted expansion of the conflict, particularly in South Kivu province, continues to inflict a heavy toll on the civilian population,” said UN humanitarian coordinator for DRC, Bruno Lemarquis. “The population can no longer continue to pay such a heavy price for a conflict that continues to spread and now threatens the stability of the entire region.” 
• UN to continue Gaza vaccination campaign against polio (UN News) – The UN World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday that the mass polio vaccination campaign in Gaza which began successfully last year, will continue in the coming days. WHO said in a news release that more than 591,000 children under 10 years old will receive the vaccine to protect them from the highly infectious disease, beginning this weekend for an anticipated period of five days. 

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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