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Oil Workers Held Hostage in Nigeria; Increased Incidence of Bird Flu in Egypt and Nigeria

21 February 2006

Philadelphia

International SOS, the world's leading provider of medical and security assistance services, international healthcare, and outsourced customer care, offers travel alerts to members traveling overseas to warn them of security risks or medical problems they may encounter at their destinations or en route. The following is a sample of locations that may represent current security and medical risks for global travelers.

Nigeria - February 20, 2006 - Oil Workers Still Held Hostage, Militants Threaten Continued Attacks
The nine foreign oil workers kidnapped on Saturday from a pipelaying barge in the Niger Delta continue to be held hostage by the militant group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND). The incident was allegedly in response to a military attack on an Ijaw community last week. The government has reportedly dispatched officials in an attempt to secure their release and has ceased attacks on communities in the region. The MEND announced yesterday that oil companies have seven days to withdraw from the region or additional attacks, including rocket attacks on oil tankers, would be carried out.

The Nigerian military has increased its deployment strength and operational tempo in the region. The presence of additional Nigerian personnel is likely to reduce the operational capabilities of the militia groups. However, in the last two months MEND has demonstrated a level of operational sophistication that has not been seen previously in its attacks on oil pipelines and abduction of oil workers.

International SOS advises members to defer all travel to the Niger Delta. Members in the region who are confident in their security arrangements and crisis management plans are advised to avoid all movement and adopt a stand fast position. The mood of the local population surrounding oil facilities is unpredictable and subject to rapid change.

Philippines - February 20, 2006 - Bombing at Site of War Games
A bomb exploded over the weekend in a local bar, near a Philippine army base in Jolo town in the southwestern portion of the Philippines, where American and Filipino troops were scheduled to hold month-long military exercises. The bomb blast occurred near the capital of the island-province of Sulu, on Saturday evening. One person was killed and at least 28 others, including four Filipino soldiers, were injured in the blast.

The blast occurred the same day that the annual military exercises involving United States and Philippine troops commenced in Sulu. Police are still investigating the incident and military troops in Sulu have been placed on full red alert.

Sulu province is the base of several armed groups including the Abu Sayyaf Group, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). In addition, bandits and other criminal groups also operate actively in the province. At this stage, it is difficult to fully ascertain if the incident was linked to the military exercises or was a result of criminal violence.

International SOS members may conduct essential business travel to the Philippines. However, members are advised against traveling to the southern Philippine provinces of Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao, North Cotabato, and Lanao del Sur. Please contact International SOS security for additional travel advice to the Philippines.

Egypt, Nigeria - February 20, 2006 - More Provinces Report Sick Birds
Since the beginning of February, 13 nations have reported their first cases of A/H5N1 avian flu: Iraq, Nigeria, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Iran, Austria, Germany, Egypt, India and France. Most of the European nations have detected the disease among wild birds, not domestic flocks. Conversely, the disease evaded surveillance in affected African nations until it struck larger flocks of domestic poultry, raised on commercial farms. The affected African nations, therefore, are experiencing outbreaks of a larger scale and more rapid disease spread.

In Egypt, birds have been reported ill in the Nile Delta provinces of Minufia, Sharkia and Kafr el-Sheikh as well as Fayoum, a farming region on a Nile branch that flows into the desert southwest of Cairo. By February 20, at least 10 provinces in Egypt had reported sick birds.

In Nigeria, three additional states have reported bird flu, including an area near the capital, Abuja. One, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), is in central Nigeria. The other two, Zamfara and Katsina, are in northern Nigeria on the border of Kaduna. The disease was first reported in Kaduna state. It is not yet known if the flu detected in these three areas is A/H5N1. Further testing is underway.

Avian influenza A/H5N1 has caused outbreaks in poultry in an increasing number of countries. Ukraine, Iraq, Cyprus, Hong Kong, China, Turkey, Indonesia, and Romania all reported outbreaks in January 2006. For further information, see the International SOS Pandemic Preparedness Website. There, you can access the latest news, detailed information on flu-affected countries and pandemic preparedness planning information.

Medical and Security Alerts
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