| SAFETY
INCIDENT REPORTS SINCE SUMMER 2002 |
| Country
Report • Incidents: Illnesses & Other
Medical Conditions • Accidents • Assaults • Theft
of Property • Natural
Disasters • Demonstrations |
| WORLDWIDE & COUNTRY
STATISTICAL REPORT |
Among
885
NMSU students who have studied abroad, 100-11.3% felt they had experienced
a serious safety or health incident. These occurred in 16
(44.4%) of the 36 countries in which they
had studied. Obviously, countries in which many
NMSU students have studied (Mexico, Costa Rica,
Spain) are going to have more reported incidents
than those in which fewer students study abroad.
The data show that safety and health
incidents can occur in both developed and developing
countries and that students
must be vigilant, but not alarmist, about their
personal
safety when
traveling abroad. Illnesses,
assaults, accidents, theft of personal property
and more can be experienced by any student who
studies abroad anywhere in the world. All
countries are listed alphabetically below by
# of participants, # of incidents, and % of reported
safety and health incidents: |
Country
|
Health & Safety
Incidents
|
Argentina
|
013
|
0
01
|
007.7%
|
Australia
|
023
|
0
01
|
004.3%
|
Austria
|
0
06
|
0
00
|
000.0%
|
Belize
|
0 13
|
0
00
|
000.0%
|
| Bolivia |
0
01
|
0
01
|
100.0%
|
| Brazil |
029
|
0
06
|
020.7%
|
| Canada |
0
07
|
0
01
|
014.3%
|
| Chile |
0
08
|
0
00
|
000.0%
|
| China |
0
08
|
0
01
|
012.5%
|
| Costa
Rica |
184
|
0 21
|
014.4%
|
| Ecuador |
012
|
0
00
|
000.0%
|
| Finland |
004
|
0
00
|
000.0%
|
|
Country
|
Health & Safety
Incidents
|
| France |
029
|
006
|
020.7%
|
| Germany |
022
|
000
|
000.0%
|
| Ghana |
001
|
001
|
100.0%
|
| Guatemala |
022
|
005
|
022.7%
|
| India |
002
|
000
|
000.0%
|
| Ireland |
001
|
000
|
000.0%
|
| Italy |
007
|
000
|
000.0%
|
| Japan |
018
|
002
|
0 11.1%
|
| Korea |
003
|
000
|
000.0%
|
| Malta |
0
4
|
000
|
000.0%
|
| Mexico |
257 |
035 |
0 13.6% |
| Morocco |
0
02
|
000
|
000.0%
|
|
Country
|
Health & Safety
Incidents
|
| Netherlands |
0
08
|
0
02
|
0 25.0%
|
| New
Zealand |
0
03
|
0
00
|
000.0%
|
| Nicaragua |
0
01
|
0
00
|
000.0%
|
| Panama |
0
01
|
0
00
|
000.0%
|
| Peru |
0
05
|
0
00
|
000.0%
|
| Russia |
0
02
|
0
00
|
000.0%
|
| South
Africa |
0
01
|
0
01
|
100.0%
|
| Spain |
137
|
0 13
|
009.5%
|
| Sweden |
0
06
|
0
00
|
000.0%
|
| Switzerland |
0
03
|
0
00
|
000.0%
|
| Thailand |
0
01
|
0
00
|
000.0%
|
| UK |
041
|
0
03
|
007.3%
|
|
| Description
of Serious Incidents Reported |
The
safety and health incidents experienced or observed
by NMSU students studying abroad are summarized
by type of incident below, with abbreviated quotes
from the students' descriptions ( numbers in
parenthesis indicate number of same type of description):
|
| #1-Illnesses & Other
Medical Conditions: (BACK TO TOP) (#
in parentheses is number of incidents for similar
condition) |
FOOD
& WATER BORNE DISEASES: Argentina: • food
caused stomach upset. China: • Traveler's
diarrhea for 3 weeks until body adjusted. Costa
Rica: • food poisoning (5) •
tap water induced infection Mexico: • stomach
infections, diarrhea, and/or food poisoning
(14) . Morocco: • Daily
diarrhea for a month since cafeteria standards
of cleanliness low and exposure to North
African diseases. Spain: • food
poisoning (from North Africa trip) • food
poisoning in Sevilla • food poisoning
in Ronda.
AIR BORNE DISEASES & PULMONARY CONDITIONS: China: • SARS
(2003) occurred in the area but not a problem
with NMSU students. • serious bronchitis
due to pollution and extreme cold temperatures. • respiratory
problems due to industrial pollution. Costa
Rica: • asthma attack (from
humidity) France: • Pneumonia. Mexico: • respiratory
problems • asthma attack Spain: • Severe
bronchitis • Severe respiratory infection
and cold. UK: • Severe
cough during first week that produced thick,
neon-green film, and it returned on my return
to the U.S. • Bad cold.
INFECTIONS & ALLEGIC REACTIONS: Costa
Rica: • ear infection from
scuba diving or swimming (2) • caught
a virus and hospitalized. • allergic
reaction to eye drops purchased at a pharmacy;
to peanuts
(person deathly allergic to them) Guatemala: • antibiotic
reaction that made me sick. Mexico: • (2) sinus
infection • foot infection • strep
throat Spain: • bad
infection (2)
DEHYDRATION: Brazil: • dehydrated
because people don't keep bottled water around. Costa
Rica: • Dehydrated
in Flamingo
MISCELLANEOUS: Costa Rica: • attacked
by stray dogs in Monteverde. Japan:
Panic attack resulted in student
returning early. Mexico: • difficulty
with heat and elevation • Heart went
into atrial fibrillation (older student with
pre-existing
condition).
|
| #2-Physical
Assaults Including Sexual Aggression: |
| Brazil: • Mugged. Costa
Rica: • (4) Robbed: by
two guys, by taxi driver, at gunpoint at night
while walking home, friend by gunpoint • harassed
by Taxi drivers. France: • finger
broken when student resisted theft of property
on train (see Property Theft below). Guatemala: • Beat
up by gangsters and had to get stitches. Ghana: NMSU
student observed but did not experience armed
robbers targeting whites and security guards
not being helpful. Japan: Followed
home by another foreigner who stole cellphone
and tried to physically assault me. I yelled
for help in Japanese, but at least 5 people passed
me and did nothing. Luckily I was able to run
to my host family without being caught. Mexico: (2) Robbed: by
police officer, on street • witnessed two
girls (not NMSU) who were attacked • Taxi
driver reached up student's skirt. Morocco: • Some
female exchange students (Not NMSU students)
were sexually assaulted (not raped) by Moroccans
on a school trip. Spain: • In
Sevilla, two men followed our friends into our
apartment building and mugged them. • robbed
in Barcelona • walking with a group of
girls in Granada and man on motor bike stole
purse and knocked a girl down, injuring her. •Men
are extremely assertive and I feared walking the streets
of Sevilla because I was stared at and verbally harassed.
I was "violated" by a man who thought it
would be ok to rub his hands all over me. Men in Spain
are more aggressive than in the U.S., especially with
foreigners. |
| #3-Accidents: (BACK
TO TOP) |
Brazil: • twisted
leg so it was hard to walk. Costa Rica: • Sprained
ankle bungee jumping. Ecuador: • Hit
by car. France: • Injured
knee • Injured a knee playing soccer for
the university and other team. Guatemala: • stung
by a scorpion Mexico: • Two women got hit
by a car right in front of the school (NMSU
student witnessed only) • sprained ankle. Netherlands: • fires
in residence (arson) and had no smoke detectors,
working fire exits, or audible alarm system (which
are now corrected). • Fell off collapsing
balcony. Spain: • Fell
on a wet street and bad sprain • broke
ankle • fell down stairs and sprained ankle
|
| #4-Theft
or Damage of Property: (BACK TO
TOP) |
Brazil: • Camera
stolen and money card demagnitized. Canada: My
vehicle was spray painted. Costa
Rica: • passport stolen when robbed. • backpack
stolen at the internet-cafe. France: • Person
entered room (Lyon) while sleeping and stole
purse, camera, iPod, passport, wallet. • Laptop
and wallet stolen on train. Japan: Followed
home by another foreigner who stole cell phone...
(see assault report above). Mexico: • wallet
was stolen on the bus from my purse while I was
sleeping. New Zealand: • back
pack stolen while whale watching. Spain: • bag
stolen in Madrid • girlfriend had her purse
stolen. • purse stolen in Granada (see
incident under Assaults).
|
| #5-General
Fear for Safety: |
| Costa
Rica: Felt unsafe around the neighbors
of my home stay in Monteverde. Mexico: Walking
home at night, even with a group of girls, was
dangerous and a bad idea. South Africa: Could
not walk around anywhere at night or ride the
train alone. |
| #6-Demonstrations: |
| Mexico: Protests
in Oaxaca with marches, blocked buses, roads and
banks closed, sit-ins from protestors. Netherlands: • felt
risk due to protests in a square (student was studying
in UK but traveling in NL) |
| #7-Natural
Disasters (BACK TO TOP) |
Mexico: • Four
students experienced Hurricane Emily which hit
Carmen de Playa head on summer 2005
|
