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In Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro state, in the first three months of 2008 about 33,000 people had contracted dengue fever and 48 had died, more deaths than in all of 2002, the last year that Rio had a dengue epidemic.
Most have been in urban areas, not rural. While the incidence of Dengue is down throughout Brazil, it is up in Rio.
In Calahorra, northern Spain, in March, the Basque separatist group ETA set off a car bomb in front of a police station and also assassinated a former politician, raising fears of attacks on tourist areas this summer. It is believed ETA is trying to pressure the government into a peace deal.
The Department of State has warned against travel to Thailand’s southern provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala and Songkhla due to attacks by Muslim insurgents and a bombing March 15 at the tourist-frequented C.S. Pattani Hotel that left two dead and 14 injured.
In Tunisia, two Austrian tourists driving a 4-wheel-drive vehicle in the southern desert were kidnapped in late February 2008. A U.S.-designated terrorist organization claimed responsibility and, at press time, was demanding the release of jailed militants in Tunisia and Algeria.
On March 16, the Government of Chad announced that the state of emergency and night curfew had been lifted. Airlines that normally service N’Djamena resumed limited commercial operations.
Nevertheless, the political situation remains fluid and potentially dangerous, and all travel should be deferred, says the Department of State. Visa services at the embassy remain suspended until further notice.
The embassy strongly recommends that U.S. citizens be prepared to implement their personal evacuation or safe haven plans on short notice should the situation warrant.
Travelers in the Central African Republic (CAR) should exercise extreme caution, especially outside the capital city of Bangui. Armed rebel groups, bandits and poachers present real dangers.
The U.S. Department of State advises avoiding travel to northwestern and northern CAR, particularly the areas bordering Chad, due to insecurity caused by banditry and clashes between government and rebel forces.
The Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens against all travel to Sudan, particularly in the Darfur area, where violence between government forces and various armed militias continues. Westerners have been victims of carjacking and armed robbery while traveling in Sudan.
On Jan. 1, 2008, an official with the American Embassy and his Sudanese driver were shot and killed in their vehicle while returning to the official’s residence. The U.S. government has received indications of terrorist threats aimed at American and Western interests in Sudan.
The Department of State urges U.S. citizens to consider deferring nonessential travel to Yemen at this time, due to the possibility of attacks by extremists against U.S. citizens, businesses and perceived interests.
Several explosions targeted the embassy compound in Sanaa on March 18, 2008, injuring several Yemeni citizens, including government security personnel and schoolchildren. Embassy employees have been advised to avoid hotels, restaurants and tourist areas.
The Department of State urges U.S. citizens to remain mindful of security factors when considering travel to Israel at this time. It urges deferring travel to the West Bank and avoiding all travel to the Gaza Strip.
In recent months, extremist factions in the Gaza Strip have specifically targeted Palestinian Christian groups. Militants there have abducted Western citizens. The American International School in northern Gaza was the target of an attack on April 21, 2007, and again on Jan. 10 and 12, 2008.
In Kenya, threats of political demonstrations and violence have dramatically receded following the widely accepted power-sharing agreement signed on Feb. 28, 2008, and ratified by parliament on March 18. The U.S. Department of State has rescinded the authorized departure order for Kisumu and environs, and U.S. government personnel and families are able to return there.