From NHK TV in Japan to the city of Chickasha, Oklahoma, we welcome our viewers from all
over the world.
First up on commercial free CNN STUDENT NEWS we are taking you to Africa. The Ebola outbreak
we`ve been following this year has mostly been limited to West Africa. But new cases
of the hemorrhagic fever are turning up in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Central
Africa. It appears to be a different strain of the virus, meaning it`s a separate one
from the outbreak that`s killed 1500 people in West Africa. But doctors are scrambling
to contain it, because Congo borders nine other countries, and an outbreak there could
be catastrophic. There`s no cure. Ebola kills many of those who get it. Though people can
survive, if they are treated quickly with fluids, medicines and nutrients.
One big question, though, how do you stop it?
Ebola outbreak in Africa has left hundreds dead and many more infected. To halt even
more infections, finding and treating all the patients is key. But just as important
as finding and monitoring all the people who had close contact with those patients. These
people, they may have slept in the same house, they may have come in contact with the patients`
body fluids. And not all of the patients` close contacts are going to get sick. But
those who do can then expose even more people to Ebola. It`s called a chain of transmission.
I want to give you a real world example from an Ebola outbreak in the early 2000s.
A young woman from Uganda didn`t know she was sick with Ebola. She had closed contacts
with six people. Her baby and father in law, they both got sick. The baby then got his
grandmother sick and she had contact with two more people as well. The father in law
had close contact with 12 people.
Out of that, his brother and cousin both got sick. The brother then had close contact with
four more people, and the cousin had close contact with five more people, including another
brother who`d used his blanket and also got sick. That`s how Ebola can spread. From one
generation of disease, all the way around to another generation and then another.
Breaking this chain of transmission is crucial. And one way to do it is do something known
as contact tracing. Basically, disease detectives use every source they can find to find people
who may have had contact with the person sick with Ebola. And then for 21 days they monitor
each person looking for signs and symptoms like a fever. And if it looks like someone
who`s starting to get sick, they are asked to go to an isolation ward.
Now, in previous person outbreaks this contact tracing has been pretty effective at halting
new transmissions. But the current outbreak is unprecedented in size and scope. The World
Health Organization says it`s so far more than 8500 of those close contacts have been
identified. And just imagine that. How daunting it would be to follow for 21 days more than
8500 people in the region of the world with fewer resources and then remote locations.
If you miss even one exposed individual and they get sick, the virus keeps spreading.
And this outbreak won`t be over until there`s been 42 days with no new cases.
Moving east of the African continent now to the region of the Middle East. Rockets and
airstrikes have brought explosions to Israel and Gaza.
Hamas is the group that controls the Palestinian territory of Gaza. Israel and the U.S. label
Hamas a terrorist organization. It recently admitted to kidnapping and killing three Israeli
teenagers in June. That set off the new flare up of an old conflict. A Palestinian teenager
was killed in early July. Rocket attacks from Gaza and airstrikes from Israel have been
on and off ever since.
Thousands, mostly Palestinians have died, and parts of Gaza have become a war zone.
A CNN producer describes what its` like to travel there.
So, I was lucky enough to get the call to be a producer for Ben Wedeman, and I say lucky
because if you`re going to go into Gaza at the time of conflict, there`s no better reporter
to be there with. He`s covered the story for more than two decades, he speaks fluent
Arabic, he knows the streets of Gaza like the back of his hands.
The minute I crossed into Gaza there were two explosions on either side of me, a few
hundred meters away. Rocket fire or artillery incoming, and it`s loud. It`s - it shakes
the air around you, and I think if you are not scared, there`s probably something wrong
with you.
Every time I go in, I`m always constantly surprised at just how small the place is,
it`s, you know, from top to bottom 40 kilometers, around 25 miles long, which means, you know,
when you`re in Gaza City on the top of a building, in a couple directions you can see Israeli
border.
You are all more aware of the close proximity in the time of conflict, when there`s artillery
and bombs coming in and rockets going out.
From Monday`s transcript at cnnstudentnews.com, here are three of the schools that requested
a mention on today`s "Roll Call." We`ll start in Costa Rica, with the Lincoln School. It`s
great being part of your day in Santo Domingo de Heredia. Next, we are jumping up to Parowan
Utah.
We`ve got the rams roaming in Parowan High School. And over in Chillicothe, Illinois,
we see a stampede of Mustangs. They are at Chillicothe Junior High School.
The average school start time across the U.S. is 8 a.m., but the American Academy of Pediatrics
says it needs to be later. Why? So you can get more sleep. It says teenagers` health,
safety and grades, all depend on sleep, and specifically, sleeping later. It says going
to be earlier won`t solve the problem because teenagers` brains are programmed to fall asleep
later and stay asleep later.
So, it`s recommending that schools delay their start times to 8:30 or later.
A couple of problems with that, though. One involves bus schedules. Many buses start early
to make several trips to different schools. Adding buses and routs adds costs and many
districts can`t afford that. Another reason - afterschool activities. If school started
later, students in band or sports might not get home until after dinner.
You know that expression, slow news day. Friday, April 18, 1930 was quite possibly the slowest
news day ever. On that day, the BBC announced "there`s no news. And then they played piano
music. Now, that`s random.
Hunts Point is one of the toughest parts of the Bronx. That`s a borough in New York City.
According to New York`s government, only about 42 percent of students in Hunts Point graduate
high school. They routinely walk through streets ridden with crime, drugs and danger. But a
CNN hero is turning Hunts Point into a jumping off point for some students` success.
Bronx River is really one of the most hidden gems of New York City. If you look in one
direction, you`ll see very industrial sites. If you look at another direction, you`ll see
tons of birds and fish and all kinds of native plant life.
I grew up in New York City, which is an island surrounded by water, but I wasn`t the boater
at all.
I ended up volunteering in Ageera (ph) High School in East Harlem when we`ve built a little
eight foot dingy (ph). I benefited just as much as any other students did from the sense
of oh, wow, I can put my energy into something and actually see a result.
Make your own .
That experience inspired me to create this organization Rocking the Boat.
You want a good check for that? Just drop this on.
Our kids come from the south Bronx, one of the poorest places in the country. Their block
is all they`ve ever known.
The kids learn how to build boats, they are sailing and rowing. They are restoring a river.
Here you go.
We`ve opened kids up to new possibility as really to become someone they would never
be - otherwise.
The program has taught me that I can take on any challenge and apply so many of the
skills that I learned here. Now, I`m going to a good college. I wouldn`t have got there
if not for Rocking the Boat.
And what do you guys see in high tide?
It`s pretty awesome.
They can really go anywhere and do anything.
They`ve already got what it takes (INAUDIBLE) and put it to work.
Rock the Boat!
Before we go,
Before we go, well, this is just a prettiest little implosion you`ve ever seen. The city
of Albany, New York, decided it was time for this hotel to go. But demolition crews sent
it off in style. First came fireworks, than explosions and red-white blue smoke. The structure
had been there since the 1920. Then it`s been abandoned (INAUDIBLE), so to make way for
a new convention center, there was a cascade of color culminating in a calculated collapse.
Maybe not the most constructive way to end a show, makes our finish a little flat. It
seems like we`re just dropping off, but it gives us something to build on. Grounds us
on from footing and provides a solid foundation on which we can stack more stories and punch
tomorrow. See you all then.