ISnail Fever—Ngaba Ukuphela Kwesi Sifo Kukufuphi?
NGUMBHALELI KAVUKANI! ENIGERIA
PHEZU kwayo nje inkqubela emangalisayo kwezamayeza nakwezenzululwazi, uluntu alukwazi ukucombulula uninzi lweengxaki zalo ekudala zikho. Oku bekunjalo ngemizamo yokuphelisa isnail fever.
Kuyabonakala ukuba zikho zonke izinto ezifunekayo zokwenza lo msebenzi. Oogqirha bayawazi umjikelo wobomi besi sifunxi-gazi. Kulula ukusixilonga esi sifo. Akho amayeza aphumelelayo okusinyanga. Iinkokeli zaseburhulumenteni zikulungele ukwenza umgudu wokusithintela. Sekunjalo, asibonakali ngathi siza kuphela esi sifo sithwaxa izigidi zabantu eAfrika, eAsia, kwiCaribbean, kuMbindi Mpuma nakuMzantsi Merika.
ISnail fever (esikwabizwa ngokuba yibhilhaziya okanye ischistosomiasis) siye saluthwaxa uluntu kangangamawaka eminyaka. Amaqanda omele kwikalika awafunyanwa kwizidumbu ezomisiweyo zaseYiputa anikela ubungqina bokuba esi sifo sawathuthumbisa amaYiputa ngemihla yoofaro. Kwiinkulungwane ezingama-30 kamva, kwaesi sifo sisaqhubeka sithwaxa iEgypt, siqoba impilo yezigidi ngezigidi zabemi belo lizwe. Kwezinye iidolophana ezikwiNtlambo Yomlambo umNayile, abantu abasi-9 kwabali-10 banesi sifo.
IEgypt lelinye nje lamazwe angama-74 okanye angaphezulu apho besigqugqisa khona isnail fever. Ngokwamanani awakhutshwa yiWorld Health Organization (WHO), kwihlabathi lonke ngama-200 ezigidi zabantu asulelwe sesi sifo. Kwabangama-20 ezigidi abanesi sifo, bamalunga nama-200 000 abafayo nyaka ngamnye. Phakathi kwezifo ezibangelwa zizifunxi-gazi ezifumaneka kweleenjiko, kuthiwa isnail fever silandela isifo seengcongconi ngokwenani labantu esibathwaxayo nangomonakalo esiwenzayo kwezoqoqosho.
Umjikelo Ophilwa Sesi Sifunxi-gazi
Ukuqonda isnail fever, nokwazi indlela yokusithintela nokusinyanga, kuthetha ukuqonda isifunxi-gazi esingunozala waso. Ingongoma ephambili yile: Ukuze sisinde size siphile ukusuka kwesinye isizukulwana ukusa kwesinye, esi sifunxi-gazi sifuna amaxhoba amabini, izidalwa ezibini esinokuzondla kuzo ngaphakathi size sikhule. Esinye sazo sisilwanyana esanyisayo, njengomntu; esinye yinkumba yamanzi.
Nantsi into eyenzekayo. Xa umntu othwele esi sifunxi-gazi echamela okanye ezithuma kumanzi omgxobhozo, echibi, omfula, okanye omlambo, ukhupha amaqanda esi sifunxi-gazi—mhlawumbi amaqanda angangesigidi ngosuku. La maqanda mancinane kakhulu ukuba angabonwa ngaphandle kwemikroskopu. Xa la maqanda edibene namanzi, ayaqandusela, aze akhuphe izifunxi-gazi. Ezi zifunxi-gazi zidada ngokusebenzisa uboyana obuncinane obusemizimbeni yazo ukuya kwinkumba yamanzi, zithi zakufika kuyo zingene. Ngaphakathi kule nkumba, ziyaphindaphindeka kwiiveki ezine okanye ezisixhenxe ezilandelayo.
Xa ziyishiya le nkumba, ziba neeyure nje ezingama-48 kuphela zokufumana umntu nokungena kuye okanye kwesinye isilwanyana esanyisayo. Kungenjalo, ziya kufa. Sithi ke sakufumana ixhoba elize emanzini, esi sifunxi-gazi sigqobhoze esikhumbeni salo size singene egazini. Oku kunokwenza loo mntu arhawuzelelwe, nangona ngokufuthi engenawo nomkrwelo obonisa ukuba kukho into eyenzekileyo. Ngaphakathi egazini, esi sifunxi-gazi siya kwimithambo yegazi yesinyi okanye yamathumbu, kuxhomekeka ukuba luhlobo luni lwesifunxi-gazi. Kwiiveki nje ezimbalwa ezi zifunxi-gazi ziyakhula zibe ziintshulube eziziinkunzi neziziimazi ezinobude obuziimilimitha ezingama-25. Emva kokukhwelana, imazi iqalisa ukudlulisela amaqanda kwigazi lexhoba elo, ngaloo ndlela igqiba umjikelo wayo.
Malunga nesiqingatha samaqanda siwushiya umzimba wexhoba ngelindle (kwisnail fever samathumbu) okanye emchameni (kwisnail fever somchamo). Amanye amaqanda asala emzimbeni aze ahlasele amalungu abalulekileyo. Njengoko esi sifo sihambela phambili, ixhoba lisenokuba nomkhuhlane, ukudumba kwesisu nokopha ngaphakathi. Ekugqibeleni esi sifo sinokubangela umhlaza wesinyi okanye ukudodobala kwesibindi okanye kwezintso. Amanye amaxhoba aba ngamadlolo okanye afe amalungu omzimba. Kanti amanye ayafa.
Izicombululo Neengxaki
Ukuze kuthintelwe ukusasazeka kwesi sifo, ubuncinane kunokwenziwa izinto ezine. Ukuba ezinye zezi zinto bezisenziwa emhlabeni wonke, esi sifo besiya kupheliswa.
Into yokuqala kukutshabalalisa iinkumba kwiindawo zamanzi. Iinkumba zinegalelo elikhulu ekwandeni kwezi zifunxi-gazi. Ukuba bezingekho iinkumba, ngesingekho isnail fever.
Umgudu ophambili ibikukuvelisa ityhefu enamandla kakhulu ekubulaleni iinkumba kodwa engayi kuyingcolisa imeko-bume. Kwiminyaka yee-1960 neyee-1970, imizamo yokutshabalalisa iinkumba yaphumelela ekubulaleni yonke into ephilayo emanzini amaninzi. KwiTheodor Bilharz Research Institute yaseEgypt kwenziwa amalinge okufumana imolluscicide (into ebulala iinkumba) engazibulaliyo ezinye izinto eziphilayo. UGqr. Aly Zein El Abdeen, ongumongameli wale ntlangano, xa ethetha ngaloo nto uthi: “Iza kugalelwa emanzini, asetyenziselwa ukunkcenkcesha izityalo, aselwa ngabantu nazizilwanyana, nahlala iintlanzi, ngoko sifanele siqiniseke ngokupheleleyo ukuba akukho nanye kwezi zinto eza kuchaphazeleka.”
Into yesibini kukubulala ezi zifunxi-gazi ebantwini. De kube phakathi kwiminyaka yee-1970, unyango olwalubandakanya amayeza lwabangela ezinye izinto neengxaki ezininzi. Ngokufuthi, unyango lwalubandakanya ukufumana uthotho lwezitofu ezibuhlungu. Bambi bakhalaza ngelithi unyango lwalubuhlungu gqitha kunesifo! Ukususela ngoko, amayeza amatsha, anjengepraziquantel, naphumelelayo ekuthinteleni isnail fever aye enziwa yaye la anokuselwa.
Nangona la mayeza eye angqineka enempumelelo eAfrika nakuMzantsi Merika, ingxaki ephambili kumazwe amaninzi ibiziindleko. Ngowe-1991 iWHO yakhalaza yathi: “Amazwe ebekusoloko kugquba kuwo esi sifo akakwazi ukuqhubeka namaphulo amakhulu okulwa [isnail fever] ngenxa yeendleko ezixhomileyo zonyango; iindleko ezixhomileyo zamayeza zidla ngokuba ngaphezulu lee kwisimbuku semali ebekelwe loo njongo yinkoliso yamasebe ezempilo aseAfrika.”
Kwanalapho amayeza afunyanwa ngesisa ngumguli, uninzi lwabantu aluyi ukuze lufumane unyango. Ngoba? Esinye sezizathu kukuba umlinganiselo wababulawa sesi sifo uphantsi ngokwentelekiso, ngoko ke abanye abantu abasijongi njengesiyingxaki enkulu. Esinye isizathu sikukuba abantu abasoloko beyiphawula imiqondiso yesi sifo. Kweminye imimandla yaseAfrika, igazi elisemchameni (umqondiso ophambili wesi sifo) liqheleke kakhulu kangangokuba ligqalwa njengenxalenye eqhelekileyo yokukhulela ebuntwini obukhulu.
Into yesithathu kukuqiniseka ukuba iinkqubo zamanzi azinawo la maqanda. Ukuba izindlu zangasese ezembiweyo zazenzelwe ukuthintela ukungcoliswa kwemithombo namachibi asekuhlaleni yaye ukuba wonke umntu ebesebenzisa zona, ingozi yokufumana isnail fever ibinokuncitshiswa.
Uhlolisiso olwenziwa emhlabeni wonke lubonisa indlela esinciphe ngayo kakhulu esi sifo emva kokufakwa kwamanzi ahamba ngemibhobho nezindlu zangasese ezembiwayo, kodwa ezi zinto aziqinisekisi ukuba sithintelwe. “Iye ibe ngumntu nje omnye ozithuma kumjelo wamanzi oqalisa wonke lo mjikelo,” satsho esinye isazinzulu uAlan Fenwick, esachitha iminyaka engaphezu kwama-20 siphanda ngesnail fever. Kukwakho nengozi yemibhobho egqabhukileyo yamanzi amdaka etyekezela ilindle elithwele esi sifo kwimithombo yamanzi.
Into yesine kukugcina abantu bengasondeli emanzini angcoliswe sesi sifunxi-gazi. Nako oku akulula njengokuba kusenokubonakala kunjalo. Kumazwe amaninzi amachibi, imithombo nemilambo ekukhiwa kuyo amanzi okusela akwasetyenziselwa ukuhlamba, ukunkcenkceshela izityalo nokuhlamba iimpahla. Abalobi basebenza emanzini iintsuku zonke. Yaye kubushushu obuqatseleyo kweleenjiko, ebantwaneni indawo nje enamanzi inokuba liqula lokudada.
Liyintoni Ithemba Ngekamva?
Alithandabuzeki elokuba abantu neentlangano ezinyanisekileyo bayazibhokoxa ukulwa isnail fever yaye baye benza inkqubela enkulu. Nabaphandi basebenza nzima bezama ukuvelisa isitofu esiza kusikhusela.
Nakuba kunjalo, amathemba okuphelisa esi sifo abonakala emfiliba. UGqr. M. Larivière kulindixesha wezamayeza waseFransi iLa Revue du Praticien uthi: “Phezu kwayo nje impumelelo . . . , esi sifo asikazi kuphela.” Nangona ukuthintelwa nokunyangwa kwaso kusenokuba yinto yokwenene ebantwini, isicombululo emhlabeni wonke kule ngxaki yesnail fever sisenokungafunyanwa de kufike ihlabathi elitsha likaThixo. IBhayibhile ithembisa ukuba “akayi kuthi ummi wakhona, ndiyafa.”—Isaya 33:24.
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 15]
Xa bengena emanzini angcolileyo, abantu banokungenwa zizifunxi-gazi ezibangela i-“snail fever”