September 2009

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As ITN went to press, the State Department had travel warnings on 28 destinations: Kenya, Afghanistan, Burundi, Nigeria, Haiti, Iran, Sri Lanka, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Mali, Chad, Nepal, Lebanon, Georgia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Colombia, Algeria, Eritrea, Syria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Philippines, Israel/West Bank/Gaza, Côte d’Ivoire and Somalia.

For details, call the State Department at 202/647-5225 or visit http://travel.state.gov/travel/warnings.html.

WHO has confirmed several cases of bubonic plague in Tobruk, Libya, with one death. Although not uncommon in parts of Asia and Southern and Eastern Africa, this is the first outbreak in two decades in Northern Africa. Health officials are on alert in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt.

The disease does not pass from human to human but is carried by fleas. Using flea repellants, avoiding flea-infected hosts and using good sanitation are recommended for prevention.

Mexico is conducting a mosquito-eradication program to combat dengue fever. The rate of infection has increased 15% over the 2008 level, with almost 20 times the number of cases in 2000. For the first time, dengue has been detected in 21 of Mexico’s 31 states. The disease has spread all over Latin America, in fact, with Brazil and Argentina also reporting record numbers of cases this year.

Travelers are advised to use mosquito repellant, wear long pants and sleeves, use nets, stay indoors at dusk, etc.

A 6.0 earthquake destroyed thousands of homes, killed one person and injured more than 300 on July 10 in Yunnan province in south-central China. The province borders Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam and is next to Sichuan, where a 7.9 quake left almost 90,000 people dead in May 2008.

All 168 people aboard a Caspian Airlines plane were killed when it crashed in Qazvin, Iran, 16 minutes after taking off from Tehran on July 15. Heading to Yerevan, Armenia, the Russian-built Tupolev aircraft caught fire and went down about 150 kilometers north of Tehran.

The Department of State recommends deferring nonessential travel to Honduras at this time.

On June 28, the Honduran military ousted President Manuel Zelaya and sent him out of the country. There are military or police checkpoints throughout Tegucigalpa, and demonstrations both against and in favor of the new regime are expected to continue. Demonstrators have blocked roads. (Do not try to pass roadblocks.) Daily curfews with varying hours have been announced.

The Department of State lifted the Travel Warning for Madagascar on July 7. It had been in place since March due to rising violence and unrest in the country after the military forced the removal of President Ravalomanana and a transitional government headed by Rajoelina was put in power. The four political parties agreed to meet in August 2009 to try to resolve the crisis. 

In mid-July, two people were killed while carrying a homemade bomb, and 20 unexploded bombs were discovered in Antananarivo. Members of the previous government were accused and arrested.

The Department of State warns that travel in all areas of Afghanistan is unsafe due to military operations, land mines, banditry, armed rivalry among political and tribal groups, and the possibility of terrorist attacks. The number of attacks in the south remains high due to insurgent and drug-related activity.

In February 2009 insurgents launched an attack on government buildings in Kabul. Between October 2008 and April 2009, several American citizens were kidnapped.

The US Embassy in Nairobi has designated a small portion of Kenya bordering Somalia and Ethiopia as “restricted without prior authorization” for purposes of travel by US government employees. This is based on reports of Somali-based armed groups that have crossed into Kenya to stage attacks or commit crimes. 

This restriction does not apply to people not associated with the US government but should be taken into account when planning travel. The State Department lists the restricted areas.