Intsholongwane Ebulalayo Ihlasela IZaire
NGUMBHALELI KAVUKANI! EAFRIKA
IKIKWIT, eZaire, yidolophu exananazileyo ekupheleni kwamahlathi athandwa ziimvula. UGaspard Menga Kitambala oneminyaka engama-42 ubudala, owayehlala cebu kuhle kwesi sixeko, wayekuphela kweNgqina likaYehova kwintsapho yakhe. UMenga wayengumthengisi wamalahle. Wayewaqokelela la malahle enzulwini yehlathi, awabophe aze awathwale entloko ewasa eKikwit.
NgoJanuwari 6, 1995, wagula. Wawa kabini xa wayesuka ehlathini egoduka. Ukufika kwakhe ekhaya, wakhala ngentloko ebuhlungu nangomkhuhlane.
Kwiintsuku nje ezimbalwa ezalandelayo, imeko yakhe yaba mandundu. NgoJanuwari 12, intsapho yakhe yamsa eKikwit General Hospital. AmaNgqina ebandla awayekulo uMenga ancedisa intsapho yakhe ekumnyamekeleni esibhedlele. Okulusizi kukuba, imeko yakhe yaba mandundu ngakumbi. Waqalisa ukuhlanza igazi. Igazi laliphuma ngokungalawulekiyo ngeempumlo nangeendlebe. NgoJanuwari 15, wafa.
Kungekudala nabanye bentsapho kaMenga abawuchukumisayo umzimba wakhe bagula. Ekuqaleni kukaMatshi, abantu abali-12 abazizalamane ezisondeleyo zikaMenga babefile, kuquka umfazi wakhe nababini kubantwana babo abathandathu.
Phakathi kuAprili, abasebenzi basesibhedlele nabanye baqalisa ukugula baza bafa ngendlela efanayo nekaMenga nentsapho yakhe. Kungekudala oko kugula kwanwenwela kwezinye iidolophu ezimbini kuloo mmandla. Licacile elokuba, kwakufuneka uncedo oluvela ngaphandle.
Unjingalwazi Muyembe, ingcungela yesazi saseZaire ngezifo zeentsholongwane waya eKikwit ngoMeyi 1. Kamva waxelela uVukani! oku: “Sifumanise ukuba iKikwit ibichanabeke koobhubhani ababini: omnye ubusisifo sokuhambisa kwesisu yaye omnye ubusisifo sokopha [hemorrhagic fever] yaye bebebangelwa yintsholongwane. Kambe ke, kuye kwafuneka siqiniseke ngoko siye sakufumanisa ngoxa besixilonga. Ngoko siye saqokelela igazi kubaguli saza salithumela ukuba lihlolwe kwiCenters for Disease Control (CDC) eAtlanta, eUnited States.”
ICDC ifumanise oko bekurhanelwa nguMuyembe nabanye oogqirha baseZaire. Esi sifo sasiyiEbola.
Isifo Esibulalayo
Intsholongwane eyiEbola iyingozi. Inokubulala msinya. Alikho iyeza lokugonyela yona yaye akukho nyango luye lwenziwa kumaxhoba ayo.
IEbola yaqala ukufunyaniswa ngowe-1976. Sithiywe ngomlambo waseZaire, esi sifo sahlasela emazantsi eSudan yaye ngethuba nje elifutshane kamva sahlasela emantla eZaire. Kwakhona saqhambuka nje kancinane eSudan ngowe-1979. Emva koko, esi sifo sanyamalala kangangeminyaka, ngaphandle nje kwabambalwa abafa beneempawu ezifana neze-Ebola.
Intsholongwane iEbola iyingozi kangangokuba izazinzulu ezifunda ngayo eAtlanta zikwenza oko kwelona gumbi lokwenza ulingelo olunqabisekileyo olwenziwe lwanenkqubo yokuhlaziya umoya engavumeli nanye intsholongwane ehamba nomoya ukuba iphume. Ngaphambi kokungena kweli gumbi lokwenza ulingelo, izazinzulu zinxiba “iisuti ezifana nezinxitywa ngoosomajukujuku ezikhuselekileyo.” Xa ziphuma apho zihlamba kwisibulali zintsholongwane. Amaqela oogqirha awafika eKikwit eza nezinto zokuzikhusela—iigloves ezilahlwayo emva kokuba zisetyenzisiwe neminqwazi, iindondo nempahla ekhethekileyo ekhusela ukungena kweentsholongwane.
Ngokwahlukileyo koko, inkoliso yabemi baseKikwit yayingazi nto ngezinto zokuzikhusela. Abanye baye bazibeka esichengeni okanye bafa ngoxa benceda ababathandayo abagulayo. Abahlobo neentsapho baye babeleka abagulayo nabafileyo emiqolo nasemagxeni kungekho nto bazikhusele ngayo. Umphumo uye waba kukufa kwabantu abaninzi ngokumasikizi; le ntsholongwane iye yatshabalalisa iintsapho ngokupheleleyo.
Ukulawula Ukuqhambuka Kwesi Sifo
Abemi behlabathi lonke basabela kwizikhalo ezazivela eKikwit zokufuna uncedo ngeminikelo yemali nezixhobo zonyango. Amaqela abaphandi afika evela eYurophu, eMzantsi Afrika naseUnited States. Ayeze ngenjongo entlu-mbini: okokuqala, ukuncedisa ekulawuleni ukuqhambuka kwesi sifo; yaye okwesibini, ukufumanisa apho le ntsholongwane yayihlala khona phakathi kwamaxesha okuba ngubhubhani.
Ukunceda ekunqandeni lo bhubhani, abasebenzi bezonyango babekhangela kwizitrato ngezitrato befuna nabani na owayeneempawu zesi sifo. Abagulayo basiwa esibhedlele, apho babenokugcinwa bekude nabantu baze banyanyekelwe ngokukhuselekileyo khona. Abo bafayo basongelwa ngeeplastiki ezinkulu baza bangcwatywa ngaphandle kokulibazisa.
Kwalungiselelwa iphulo elikhulu lokunikela inkcazelo echanileyo ngesi sifo kubasebenzi bezonyango nakuwonke wonke ngokubanzi. Inxalenye yaloo nkcazelo yalumkisa ngamandla nxamnye neendlela zesithethe zokungcwaba, apho iintsapho ngokwesithethe ziphatha zize zihlambe izidumbu.
Ukukhangela Umthombo Waso
Izazinzulu zafuna ukuqonda apho ivela khona le ntsholongwane. Okwaziwayo kukuba: Iintsholongwane aziziphileli, azikwazi kutya, azikwazi kusela yaye azinako ukwanda ngokwazo. Ukuze ziphile zize zizale, zimele zingene kwiiseli eziphilayo zize zisebenzise kakubi indlela entsonkothileyo ezakhiwe ngayo.
Xa intsholongwane ingena esilwanyaneni, ngokufuthi kwakhiwa ulwalamano lwesivumelwano—eso silwanyana asiyibulali le ntsholongwane yaye nentsholongwane ayisibulali eso silwanyana. Kodwa xa umntu esondela kwisilwanyana esinale ntsholongwane ize ngandlel’ ithile idlulele kuye, isenokumbulala umntu.
Ekubeni intsholongwane eyiEbola ngokufuthi ibulala abantu neenkawu ngokukhawuleza, izazinzulu ziqikelela ukuba le ntsholongwane imele iphile kwezinye izinto eziphilayo. Ukuba amagosa ezempilo aye afumanisa uhlobo lwento ephilayo ethwala le ntsholongwane, asenokwandula ke akwazi ukusilawula ngokuphumelelayo aze athabathe amanyathelo okunqanda ukuqhambuka kwaso kwixesha elizayo. Umbuzo ongekaphendulwa nge-Ebola ngulo, Ihlala phi le ntsholongwane ngaphambi kokuba ibulale abantu?
Ukuze uphendulwe lo mbuzo, abaphandi bamele balandele umkhondo de bazi apho isuka khona. Imigudu yokuzama ukufumana esi silwanyana ihlala kuso le ntsholongwane emva kokuqhambuka kwayo kwangaphambili iye ayaphumelela. Kodwa, ukufa kwabantu eKikwit kuye kwanikela ithuba elitsha.
Izazinzulu ziqikelela ukuba ixhoba lokuqala lobhubhani waseKikwit lalinguGaspard Menga. Kodwa wamfumana njani? Ukuba wamfumana kwisilwanyana esithile, luhlobo olunjani lwesilwanyana eso? Ngokusengqiqweni, oko kwakunokufunyanwa kwelo hlathi uMenga wayesebenza kulo. Amaqela awayeqokelela ubungqina abeka izigu ezingama-350 kwiindawo awayesebenza kuzo uMenga eqokelela amalahle. Babambisa iindidi zamabuzi, oocwethe, amasele, amacikilishe, iinyoka, iingcongconi, amangolwane, amakhalane, iincukuthu, iintwala, amaphuphu neentakumba—isimbuku sezilwanyana ezincinane ezingama-2200 nezinambuzane ezili-15 000. Zinxibe izinto zokuzikhusela, izazinzulu zazibulala ezi zilwanyana ngegesi yokubulala iintlungu. Emva koko zathumela iinxalenye zezicwili zazo eUnited States, apho zazinokuhlolisiswa khona ukuze kufunyaniswe le ntsholongwane.
Ekubeni iindawo esenokuzimela kuzo le ntsholongwane phantse zininzi, akukho siqinisekiso sokuba indawo evela kuyo iya kufumaneka. UGqr. C. J. Peters, oyintloko yeCDC kwisebe elijongene neentsholongwane ngokukhethekileyo, wathi: “Ndicinga ukuba ngoku sinamathuba angama-50 ekhulwini kuphela okufumana indawo evela kuyo intsholongwane iEbola.”
Ubhubhani Uyaphela
NgoAgasti 25, lo bhubhani wavakaliswa ngokusesikweni njengento egqithileyo, njengokuba kwakungekho bantu bahlaselweyo kangangeentsuku ezingama-42, ntsuku ezo eziliphinda kabini ixesha lokuqandusela kwale ntsholongwane. Kutheni esi sifo singasasazekanga ngokubanzi? Omnye unobangela woko yimigudu yezonyango eyenziwa ehlabathini lonke yokulawula lo bhubhani. Omnye unobangela owaphelisa lo bhubhani yindlela esihlasela ngamandla ngayo esi sifo. Ngenxa yokuba yavela ibulala ngokukhawuleza kwaye idluliselwa kuphela ngokusondelelana, ayizange isasazeke kubantu abaninzi.
Iingxelo ezingokwasemthethweni ezigciniweyo zibonisa ukuba bangama-315 abantu abaye bangenwa sesi sifo yaye abangama-244 kubo baye bafa—umlinganiselo wokufa kwabangama-77 ekhulwini. IEbola isadambile okwangoku. Kwihlabathi elitsha likaYehova, iya kupheliswa ngonaphakade. (Bona uIsaya 33:24.) Okwangoku, abantu basazibuza, ‘Ngaba iEbola iya kuphinda ibekho ukuze ibulale kwakhona?’ Mhlawumbi iya kwenjenjalo. Kodwa akukho mntu waziyo ukuba oko kuya kwenzeka phi okanye nini.
[Ibhokisi ekwiphepha 29]
Ukuthelekiswa Kwalo Bhubhani Nezinye Izifo
IEbola ingumbulali, sekunjalo isisongelo esikhulu kuma-Afrika sibangelwa zizifo ezingakhathalelwanga kangako. Ngexesha lokuqhambuka kwe-Ebola abantu bebebulawa zezinye izifo ihlabathi lingazi. Kwanikelwa ingxelo yokuba kwiikhilomitha ezingamakhulu ambalwa ngasempuma yeKikwit, kutshanje abantu abangama-250 bahlaselwa yipoliyo. Ngakumntla-ntshona, iindidi ezahlukahlukeneyo nezibulalayo zekholera zathwaxa iMali. Ngakumazantsi, eAngola, abantu abangama-30 000 bahlaselwa sisifo sobuthongo. Kummandla omkhulu weNtshona Afrika, amawaka aye afa ngenxa yobhubhani wesifo sokudumba kwenwebu yobuchopho. IThe New York Times ithi: “Kuma-Afrika, kuphakama umbuzo oyintsinda-badala wokuba kutheni kungekho nanye kwizinto [iAfrika] ehlangabezana nazo imihla ngemihla, ezibulalayo kuquka izifo ezithintelekayo ethi ichukumise iimvakalelo zehlabathi.”
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 24]
Izazinzulu zikhangela indawo evela kuyo le ntsholongwane ibulalayo