South America

Venezuela: Dengue Fever on the Rise

Date: July 14th, 2010 |

Dengue fever has increased more than 80 percent over 2009 figures and almost 10 percent of the cases have been hemorrhagic dengue fever, which can be fatal. The states most affected are Miranda, Merida, and the Capital District of Caracas. The government has implemented a program to control mosquitoes by fumigating homes and destroying breeding [read more]

Peru: Full Train Service to Resume to Machu Picchu

Date: June 23rd, 2010 |

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Full train service to Machu Picchu will be restored July 1, finally putting the system back in complete operation after heavy rains and landslides washed away the tracks and stranded thousands in January. Access to the famed Inca site was restored in March but much of the journey had to be made by bus. Soon [read more]

Ecuador: Crime Rate High Around Country; Tungurahua Volcano Settles Down

Date: June 16th, 2010 |

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The U.S. Embassy in Quito issued a notice June 14 to remind travelers that the crime rate in Ecuador is very high and crime is often violent. Such crime is not restricted to Quito or Guayaquil, but also occurs in smaller cities such as Otavalo, Manta, and Cuenca where thieves and small gangs are sometimes [read more]

Suriname: Blue Wing Airlines’ Antonovs Grounded After Crash, US Embassy Prohibits Employees from Using Airline Domestically

Date: June 9th, 2010 |

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After three crashes of Blue Wing Airlines’ flights since 2008, with the most recent occurring May 15, the U.S. Embassy in Paramaribo has prohibited its employees from flying with the airline on domestic flights. All three crashes involved Antonov 28 planes, which Blue Wing uses only domestically. The government has grounded all Antonov planes and [read more]

Colombia: U.S. Peace Corps to Return to Colombia This Fall

Date: May 19th, 2010 |

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The U.S. Peace Corps will return to Colombia for the first time in almost three decades this year following the signing of an agreement by Colombia’s foreign minister and the Peace Corps’ director May 18. The Peace Corps’ last presence in Colombia was in 1981, and its return this fall was prompted by a 2009 [read more]

Ecuador: Tungurahua Volcano near Baños Calms Down

Date: June 30th, 2010 |

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Seismic activity at Tungurahua volcano 80 miles from Quito near Baños has diminished significantly in the past few weeks, prompting Ecuadorian authorities to reduce the warning level from orange to yellow and the U.S. Embassy in Quito to lift its notice to avoid the area around the volcano. Small explosions and emissions continue but without [read more]

Colombia: Medellín Drug Violence Returning

Date: June 16th, 2010 |

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Medellín may be reverting to its old, violent ways. The city once known for drug king Pablo Escobar and narcotics violence went through a renaissance and became one of Colombia’s most popular and cultured cities, often referred to as the Miracle of Medellín. But now drug gangs are fighting a turf war in Comuna 13, [read more]

Ecuador: Tungurahua Volcano near Baños Appears Ready for Major Eruption

Date: June 9th, 2010 |

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Volcanic activity at Tungurahua volcano near Quito increased, prompting authorities to raise the alert to yellow-orange and the U.S. Embassy in Quito to issue an alert recommending tourists defer travel to Baños and the surrounding area. The volcano threw off large plumes of ash amid heavy explosions and officials consider the situation volatile, with a [read more]

Brazil: U.S. Consulate Lifts Warning About Sao Paulo Beaches

Date: May 19th, 2010 |

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The U.S. Consulate in Sao Paulo rescinded its recommendation to avoid the beach neighborhoods of Praia Grande, Santos, Sao Vicente and Guaruja on the southern coast of Sao Paulo state. The consular announcement on May 12 came after officials reviewed the current situation there and determined that the warning was not necessary, but reminded travelers [read more]

Brazil: Sao Paulo State’s Southern Beach Towns See Upswing in Gang Murders

Date: April 28th, 2010 |

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The U.S. Consulate in Sao Paulo reported that since April 18, 13 murders occurred in the beach neighborhoods of Praia Grande, Santos, Sao Vicente and Guaruja on the southern coast of Sao Paulo state. Local police were among the victims of what appeared to be gang-related violence. Because of the possibility of more incidents, the [read more]