Scientists battle Brazilian malaria outbreak

Researchers discuss Malaria risks with Amazon residents

In this story: Medical volunteers reach out to Ethiopians in need Models don unique styles to help children Over the finish line by a claw in Australia's Yabbie Race   Finland launches oceangoing giant Spanish city sets standards for sidewalk sounds About CNN World Report RELATED STORIES, SITES

By Kevin Grieves
CNN World Report

November 8, 1999
Web posted at: 11:20 p.m. EST (0420 GMT)

It's carried by mosquitoes, and dreaded by inhabitants of tropical climates: Malaria claims several million lives each year, and between 300 and 500 million people around the world fall ill from the disease annually. Authorities in Brazil's Amazonas State are sounding a new alarm after discovering that the number of infected people in their region has recently doubled.

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CNN World Report contributor Amazon Network followed scientists into the dense jungles of Brazil's interior as they tracked the mosquitoes' breeding grounds in small ponds. But as Amazon Network reporter Daniela Assayag explained, local officials need more than research to fight the disease-carrying insects. They lack proper equipment to treat patients and to destroy mosquito breeding grounds. Officials say they also need more resources to help educate local residents about preventative measures.

Assayag accompanied some of the researchers on their long travels to affected areas. "In this hard task, sometimes they spend eight days in boats, up to small towns in the middle of the Amazon," she told viewers.

The scientists put their own safety on the line in order to get the upper hand in the fight against malaria, sometimes offering themselves as "human bait" to trap mosquitoes on their arms and legs. The researchers have made a troubling find: the mosquitoes have adapted to the chemicals traditionally used to fight them -- meaning that a new compound is needed to thwart the flying malaria hosts.

Medical volunteers reach out to Ethiopians in need

What is considered routine minor surgery in many industrialized nations can be a major endeavor in such countries as Ethiopia. That's because there are few trained doctors and a lack of medical facilities. To illustrate the problem, less than one-fifth of all Ethiopians lives within a two-hour walk of a modern medical treatment facility.

Ethiopian patient sees benefits of international medical help

A group of volunteers from India, funded by the Rotary Foundation, is helping Ethiopians by donating their expertise and by supplying medical materials. Ethiopia's ETV reported that many young Ethiopians have benefited from the volunteer project, having had physical deformities such as cleft palates corrected.

In addition, hundreds of people have regained eyesight from cataract or glaucoma surgery. One man told ETV reporter Mesfin Alemu, "I was unable to see anything for three years. But now I can see. I am very happy."

Alemu says Rotarians hope to work with other countries and with nongovernmental organizations on similar projects in the future.

Models don unique styles to help children

Childhood can be difficult in an adult-oriented world -- but children in developing countries face a disproportionate share of hardships. Children often stand at the end of the line of those waiting for food and medical care in impoverished parts of the world. And while children in industrialized nations see education as a normal part of growing up, their counterparts elsewhere regard learning as a luxury. The Save The Children charity estimates that hundreds of millions of youngsters around the world don't have access to basic schooling.

Latest styles are hot off the presses in Singapore

Save The Children recently held a fashion show in Singapore to raise money for education, and Singapore's TCS reported on the show for CNN World Report. Viewers expecting to see a traditional fashion show with models wearing accustomed styles were surprised with a unique twist on the pret-a-porter concept. Dubbed "print-a-porter," where fashion designers introduced clothing that was created from printouts from a color inkjet printer.

TCS reporter Julia Ng says the "wearable art" modeled in the fashion show will be auctioned off to the public, but she wondered aloud to one of the designers whether people would be expected to wear the items in public. "I don't think I see people wearing it, but I see people owning it as a collection or something," replied designer Vincent Leow.

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Australia's Network Ten caught the action in the crayfish races. Windows Media 28K 80K

Over the finish line by a claw in Australia's Yabbie Race

The big event in Australia recently was the prestigious Melbourne Cup horse race. But another race venue captured people's attention in outback Australia, and the contestants in this race were a bit closer to the ground. Freshwater crayfish, more commonly known down under as Yabbies, dashed for the finish line -- in a manner of speaking.

Australia's Network Ten brought viewers up close to the action of the "Great Australian Yabbie Race," held in Corowa, Australia. The racecourse was smaller than that of the Melbourne Cup, but the excitement was just as large.

Finland launches oceangoing giant

And speaking of large. Its 311 meters long, 48 meters wide and too large to fit through the Panama Canal. The "Voyager of the Seas" is the largest passenger ship ever built, and it was launched recently from a shipyard in Finland. The ship is designed to set a new standard of luxury, and future passengers may have a difficult time finding any wish unfulfilled. A casino, swimming pools, an ice-skating rink -- even an onboard television studio -- are some of the amenities offered.

"Voyager of the Seas" receives finishing touches

CNN World Report contributor YLE of Finland took viewers aboard the new cruise ship for a sneak preview of the floating luxury liner, as the finishing touches were applied at a shipyard in Turku, Finland. The vessel will hold up to 4,000 passengers who will typically pay around $2,000 U.S. for a one-week cruise. YLE reporter Mika Makelainen says travelers need not fear that they'll be left stranded in the event of an accident -- there is plenty of room on the ship's life boats.

Makelainen says the ship is the first of three that will be launched from the shipyard in Turku. "'Voyager of the Seas' may be the biggest one of its kind, but not for long. A year from now, an equally huge sister ship will be delivered from this same shipyard," he says.

Spanish city sets standards for sidewalk sounds

Santiago's street musicians must make the grade to keep playing

Tourists visiting Santiago, Spain, in the country's Galicia region, are often serenaded by street musicians. Now those tourists will no longer have to fear being subjected to performances lacking in musical talent.

Spain's Telecinco explained to CNN World Report viewers that Santiago officials have begun requiring street musicians to demonstrate that they possess a certain level of musical ability. That level is determined by police officers who can request on-the-spot concerts from the sidewalk artists. Police say they aren't being overly strict and claim that a higher level of tourist entertainment benefits everyone in Santiago.

Street musicians interviewed by Telecinco say they agree with the move to raise standards for open-air performances. "If a person plays well, he deserves to play in the city. If he does not, he better go," remarked one musician.