Sixty Percent of BrazilŐs Indigenous Peoples Have Diseases
7/31/99
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: Sixty Percent of BrazilŐs Indigenous People Have Diseases
Source: Folha de Sao Paolo; supplied by SEJUP (Servico
Brasileiro de Justica e Paz)
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: July 31, 1999
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NEWS FROM BRAZIL supplied by SEJUP (Servico Brasileiro de Justica e
Paz).
Number 361, July 31, 1999.
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Visit our home page: http://www.oneworld.org/sejup/
In this week's issue:
>NEWS BRIEFS
- 60% of Brazil's indigenous have diseases
- Landless rural workers evicted from estate in Par‡
- [other topics deleted]
NEWS BRIEFS
- 60% of Brazil's indigenous have diseases
Nearly 210,000 of Brazil's 350,000 indigenous population have
contracted some forms of diseases, according to Dr. Oswaldo Cid of
Funai's (National Foundation for Indians) Department of Health. In
some areas, the numbers are even higher. For example, 80% of the
indigenous lands on the banks of the river Rio in the Amazon are
infected with Hepatitis B and malaria.
The infant mortality rate among the Ianomamis is 134.2 deaths per
1000 live births, nearly four times greater than the national
average. Among other groups of people, like the Caiap— in the state
of Mato Grosso, the problem is tuberculosis. Of the 670 Caiap—, 52
have the illness. A nurse from the region, Edmilson JosŽ Mocci said
that what makes the problem worse is that there is only one nurse for
nearly 2,000 indigenous.
According to Dr. Cid, this is typical of the whole country: "Of the
32 doctors of Funai, only nine work directly in indigenous areas.
[The government] has cut the R$60 million budget down to $R37
million, and this just doesn't take care of the health of the
indigenous and to do the other activities of Funai."
Source: Folha de S‹o Paulo
July 25, 1999
- Landless rural workers evicted from estate in Par‡
In one of four "mega-operations," the military police evicted
a group of rural workers connected with the MST (Movement of those
Without Land) who were encamped on a large land estate in the state
of Par‡. One hundred and ten families had been living on the piece
of property since April of this year. This is the third of such
police operations in Par‡. The police have been using 300-500
soldiers who are armed by tear gas, guns with rubber bullets, billy
clubs, and shields. The families so far have decided not to resist,
and so far there has been no violence during the evictions. The
police are also getting ready to make one more eviction where 500
families are encamped.
Source: Folha de S‹o Paulo
July 24, 1999