Ababulali Abenza Unothanda

UMARGARET wenza onke amatiletile okufuna unyango xa unyana wakhe uTito wasulelwa sisifo seengcongconi. Kwasetyenziswa amayeza amathathu, kuquka ne-“chloroquine” enconywa kakhulu. Sekunjalo, uTito wafa—eneenyanga ezisithoba kuphela ubudala.

EKenya, kwilizwe lokuzalwa likaMargaret, intlekele enjengale ixhaphake kakhulu. “INewsweek” inikela le ngxelo: “‘IAnopheles gambiae,’ uhlobo olunkqenkqeza phambili lweengcongconi ezithwala esi sifo, iyanda kweli lizwe. Abantwana abandi. Abahlanu ekhulwini kubo babulawa sisifo seengcongconi ngaphambi kokufikelela kwiminyaka yokuqalisa esikolweni.”

Ngowe-1991 isifo sephepha sabulala amabanjwa ali-12 nomlindi wamabanjwa kwiLizwana laseNew York, eUnited States. UGqr. George DiFerdinando, Omnci., uthi: “Siza kusithintela kwiintolongo, kodwa eyona ngxaki kukuba ungasithintela njani ngoku ekubeni siye savela nasebantwini ngokubanzi?”

UMbutho Wehlabathi Wezempilo unikela ingxelo yokuba abantu abali-1,7 lamawaka ezigidi—nani elo eliphantse libe sisithathu sabemi behlabathi—banentsholongwane yesifo sephepha. Nyaka ngamnye, kwabazizigidi ezisibhozo esi sifo siya sithath’ unyawo, yaye kwabazizigidi ezithathu itshoba lilal’ umbethe.

Kwesinye isibhedlele saseNew York, kwazalwa umntwana oyintombazana kwithuba leeveki ezili-11 ngaphambi kwexesha, kodwa le asikuphela kwengxaki awayenayo. Ukobuza kolusu lwezandla zakhe, izilonda ezinyaweni zakhe, ubukhulu besibindi nodakada wakhe, zonke ezi zinto zenza kwacaca mhlophe ukuba wasulelwe yigcushuwa ngoxa esesibelekweni sikanina.

“IThe New York Times” inikela le ngxelo: “Bambi abantwana benzakaliswa sesi sifo ngoxa besezibelekweni zoonina kangangokuba bazalwa befile. Abambalwa bafa nje bakuba bezelwe, bambi bazalwa ulusu olu lonakele ngokumasikizi loo nto isenzeka ngexesha lokuzalwa kwabo.”

Isifo seengcongconi, isifo sephepha negcushuwa—zozithathu kwakucingwa ukuba ziyathintelwa yaye zazisele ziza kuphela kwiminyaka elishumi embalwa edluleyo. Kutheni ngoku zibuya ngamandla ngolu hlobo?