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 - January 16, 2006 - Oil Workers Evacuated Following Rising Violence
A major multinational oil corporation evacuated over three hundred workers from four sites in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The decision follows an attack yesterday in which unidentified gunmen fought with Nigerian troops at an oil pumping station in the region. Several oil workers were injured in the attack.
Last week, gunmen kidnapped four foreign oil workers from the offshore oil field where they were working in the Niger Delta. The hostages are said to be a Briton, an American, a Bulgarian and a Honduran. The Nigerian navy has deployed sea and air assets to assist in the search for the hostages.
The mood of the local population surrounding oil facilities is unpredictable and subject to rapid change. There are frequent strikes and protests especially in the Niger Delta/Port Harcourt region. The possibility of peaceful demonstrations becoming violent should always be considered. Monitoring local and satellite-based news services while traveling in Nigeria is recommended. Travelers seeking additional travel and security advice should contact International SOS.
Afghanistan - January 16, 2006 - Canadian Diplomat Killed as Suicide Bombings IncreaseA Canadian diplomat was killed yesterday in Kandahar by a suicide bomber who detonated a bomb near the diplomat’s vehicle. Two other civilians were killed and approximately twelve others were wounded in the attack.
Today, at least thirty people have been killed in two suicide attacks. Approximately twenty-five people were killed in Spinboldak in southern Afghanistan by a suicide bomber on a motorbike. Another bombing in Kandahar killed five people. The two attacks injured at least thirty others.
The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attacks and have warned of further strikes on US forces serving in Afghanistan.
The situation in Afghanistan remains extreme. International SOS advises its members against all travel to Afghanistan, however, if travel proceeds, contact International SOS security for individualized risk assessment and planning before departure.
Turkey- January 16, 2005 - Avian Flu Infections Rise
The Turkish Health Ministry announced that another child has tested positive for H5N1 avian flu, though the World Health Organization (WHO) has not yet confirmed the diagnosis. This brings the Ministry’s count of infected people up to 21. The patient was tested in the eastern Turkish city of Erzurum but lives in Dogubayazit, a town in Agri province where most of the country’s 21 patients live. The prime minister said that five of the 21 infected people had recovered and returned home, and that most of the remaining 12 patients are in stable condition. Four patients have died of the disease in Turkey.
Avian influenza A/H5N1 has caused outbreaks in poultry in an increasing number of countries. Ukraine, Romania, China, Turkey, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand all reported outbreaks in December 2005. There is no evidence yet that the H5N1 virus has gained the ability to spread more easily from birds to humans or that the virus can spread readily from person to person. 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
International SOS alerts are compiled through numerous resources including physicians and security experts on the ground in 48 countries, and individuals coordinating information from a broad range of resources, including the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and the US State Department.
Members
All International SOS Security Members are able to access specific travel-related advice related to this news feature. Please log onto the members' website
Non-members
If you are not an International SOS member but would like to know more about the medical and security help and advice we provide to international travelers and expatriates, click here.
Journalists
If you are a journalist and would like to speak to one of our Medical or Security experts, please contact one of our regional press contacts.
