Isifo SaseLyme—Ingabe Usengozini?

NAKUBA ingculaza ingundab’uzekwayo, isifo saseLyme asithintwa ngisho nokuthintwa nje. Nokho, isifo saseLyme sisakazeka ngokushesha. Eqinisweni, eminyakeni embalwa edlule, i-New York Times Magazine yasibiza ngokuthi “isifo esithathelwanayo esanda ngaphezu kwazo zonke [e-United States] esilandela ingculaza.” Imibiko evela kwamanye amazwe ibonisa ukuthi lesi sifo siyasakazeka e-Asia, eYurophu, naseNingizimu Melika.

Siyini isifo saseLyme? Sisakazeka kanjani? Ingabe usengozini?

Amakhizane, Izinyamazane, Nawe

Eminyakeni engaba ngu-20 edlule, kwaba nokwanda okungaqondakali kwabantu abaphethwe isifo sokuqaqamba kwamalunga edolobheni laseLyme, eConnecticut, nasezindaweni zangakhona, okuyidolobha elisengxenyeni esenyakatho-mpumalanga ye-United States. Izisulu eziningi kwakuyizingane. Isifo sazo sokuqaqamba kwamalunga saqala ngokuqubuka, ukuphathwa yikhanda, nezinhlungu emalungeni azo. Esinye isakhamuzi saphawula ukuthi ngokushesha ‘umyeni waso nezingane ezimbili base behamba ngezinduku.’ Akuthathanga sikhathi, abantu abangaphezu kuka-50 kuleyo ndawo base bengenwe yilesi sifo, futhi phakathi neminyaka embalwa, izinkulungwane zase zinezimpawu ezifanayo ezibuhlungu.

Lapho abacwaningi beqaphela ukuthi lesi sifo sasihlukile kwezinye izifo, basibiza ngokuthi isifo saseLyme. Sibangelwa yini? I-Borrelia burgdorferi—igciwane elisontekile elihlala emakhizaneni. Lisakazeka kanjani? Umuntu angase athole ikhizane elinaleli gciwane lapho ehambahamba endaweni enemithi. Ikhizane libhoboza isikhumba somuntu futhi lifake igciwane elibangela lesi sifo kulomuntu oneshwa ozihambahambelayo. Njengoba lamakhizane analeli gciwane ngokuvamile egibela, adle, futhi akhwelane ezinyamazaneni futhi njengoba abantu abengeziwe behlala ezindaweni zasemaphandleni lapho izinyamazane ziphila kahle khona, akumangalisi ukuthi izenzakalo zokungenwa isifo saseLyme bezilokhu zanda.

Izimpawu Nezinkinga

Uphawu lokuqala lwesifo saseLyme ngokuvamile ukuqubuka kwesikhumba (okwaziwa ngokuthi i-erythema migrans noma i-EM) okuqale kube ibala elincane elibomvu. Phakathi nezinsuku noma amasonto ambalwa, leli bala eliwuphawu likhula libe ukuqubuka okuyisiyingi, okuwunxantathu, noma okusasiyingi okungase kulingane nenhlamvu encane yemali noma okungase kusakazeke kugcwale wonke umhlane womuntu. Ngokuvamile lokhu kuqubuka kuhambisana nemfiva, ukuphathwa yikhanda, ukuqina kwentamo, ubuhlungu bomzimba, nokuphelelwa amandla. Uma zingazange zelashwe kusenesikhathi, izisulu ezingaphezu kwengxenye zihlaselwa ubuhlungu nokuvuvuka kwamalunga, okungase kuthathe izinyanga. Iziguli ezingalashiwe ezifinyelela kumaphesenti angu-20 zigcina zinesifo sokuqaqamba kwamalunga esingapheli. Nakuba kungavamile, lesi sifo singase siphazamise isimiso sezinzwa futhi sibangele izinkinga zenhliziyo.—Bheka ibhokisi elihambisana nalesi sihloko.

Ochwepheshe abaningi babheka isifo saseLyme njengesitholakala kanzima ngenxa yokuthi izimpawu zaso zokuqala, ezifana nezomkhuhlane zifana nezezinye izifo ezithathelwanayo. Ngaphezu kwalokho, oyedwa kubo bonke abantu abane abanalesi sifo akaqubuki—okuwukuphela kwesici esivelele esihlukanisa isifo saseLyme—futhi iziguli eziningi azikhumbuli ukuthi zake zalunywa ikhizane ngoba ngokuvamile lapho likuluma akubuhlungu.

Ukutholakala kwalesi sifo kubuye kube nzima ngenxa yokuthi ukuhlolwa kwegazi ngenjongo yokuthola amasosha omzimba okutholakalayo manje akunakwethenjelwa. Amasosha omzimba egazini lesiguli abonisa ukuthi isimiso somzimba sokuzivikela siye sathola izinto ezihlaselayo, kodwa okunye ukuhlola akukwazi ukubonisa ukuthi lezo zinto ezihlaselayo amagciwane esifo saseLyme yini. Ngakho isiguli singase sitholakale sinesifo saseLyme kuyilapho, eqinisweni, izimpawu zaso zibangelwa igciwane lezinye izifo. Ngakho-ke i-National Institutes of Health e-United States (NIH) yeluleka odokotela ukuba basekele lokho abakutholayo emlandweni wokulunywa ikhizane, ezimpawini zesiguli, nasekugwemeni ngokuphelele ezinye izifo okungase kwenzeke ukuthi ziye zabangela lezo zimpawu.

Ukuselapha Nokuzivikela

Uma litholakele kusenesikhathi, iningi leziguli lingelashwa ngokuphumelelayo ngemithi elwa namagciwane. Lapho ukwelashwa kusheshe kwaqalwa, ukululama kuba okushesha kakhudlwana nokuphelele. Ezinyangeni ezimbalwa ngemva kokwelashwa, ukuphelelwa ngamandla nobuhlungu kungase kuqhubeke, kodwa lezi zimpawu zizoncipha ngaphandle kokuba kudingeke ukwelashwa okwengeziwe ngemithi elwa namagciwane. Nokho, i-NIH iyaxwayisa, “ukuhlaselwa isifo saseLyme akusona isiqinisekiso sokuthi lesi sifo sizovinjelwa esikhathini esizayo.”

Ingabe leso simo esikhathazayo sokuba sethubeni elinjalo siyoke sishintshe? Umbiko wezindaba wase-Yale University School of Medicine e-United States wamemezela ukuthi abacwaningi baye benza umjovo wokugoma wokuhlola ongase uvimbele isifo saseLyme. Lomjovo wokugoma “osebenza ngezindlela ezimbili” ushukumisa isimiso sokuzivikela somuntu ukuba sikhiqize amasosha omzimba ahlasela futhi abulale amagciwane eLyme ahlaselayo. Ngesikhathi esifanayo, ubulala namagciwane ahlala kulamakhizane aluma isisulu esijoviwe.

UDkt. Stephen E. Malawista, omunye wabacwaningi abathola isifo saseLyme ngo-1975, uthi: “Ukuhlola lomjovo wokugoma kuyintuthuko enkulu emzamweni wethu wokuvikela abantu emiphumeleni engase ibe engathi sína yesifo saseLyme.” I-New York Times iphawula ukuthi ososayensi bathemba ukuthi ezindaweni lapho ukwesaba lesi sifo kuye kwagcina khona abantu besezindlini, “lomjovo wokugoma uzosiza ukuba indawo yasendle ibuye isetshenziswe abantu.”

Nokho, okwamanje ungabe uzithathela izinyathelo ezithile zokuzivikela. I-NIH iyatusa: Uma uhamba ezindaweni ezigcwele amakhizane, hamba phakathi nendlela. Gqoka ibhulukwe elide, iyembe elinemikhono emide, nesigqoko. Hlohla imilenze yebhulukwe emasokisini, futhi ugqoke izicathulo ezingavezi ingxenye ethile yonyawo. Ukugqoka izingubo ezinemibala ekhanyayo kwenza kube lula kakhudlwana ukubona amakhizane. Izinto ezixosha izinambuzane ezigcotshwa ezingutsheni nasesikhunjeni ziyasebenza, kodwa zingaba nemiphumela emibi ikakhulukazi ezinganeni. “Abesifazane abakhulelwe kufanele bacophelele ngokukhethekile ukuba bagweme amakhizane ezindaweni ezinesifo saseLyme,” kuxwayisa i-NIH, “ngoba isifo singadluliselwa enganeni engakazalwa” futhi kungase kwandise ithuba lokuphuphuma kwesisu noma lokuzalwa kwengane isifile.

Lapho ufika endlini, hlola ukuthi awekho yini amakhizane kuwe nasezinganeni zakho, ikakhulukazi ezingxenyeni zomzimba ezinoboya. Lokhu kwenze ngokucophelela ngoba amakhizane asemancane alingana nechashaza elisekupheleni kwalomusho futhi kalula nje ungacabanga ukuthi inhlayiyana yokungcola. Uma unezilwane zasekhaya, zihlole ngaphambi kokuba zingene endlini—nazo zingangenwa isifo saseLyme.

Ulikhipha kanjani ikhizane? Awulikhiphi ngeminwe yakho engagqokisiwe kodwa ngodlawana olubuthuntu. Donsa ngasekhanda lekhizane ngokucophelela kodwa ngokuqinile kuze kube yilapho lidedela isikhumba, kodwa ungawucindezeli umzimba walo. Khona-ke gezisisa lendawo elunyiwe ngesibulala-magciwane. UDkt. Gary Wormser, uchwepheshe wezifo ezithathelwanayo waseMelika, uthi, ukukhipha ikhizane ngaphambi kokuba kuphele amahora angu-24 kungase kukusindise ekungenweni isifo saseLyme.

Yiqiniso, ngisho nasezindaweni ezigcwele kakhulu amakhizane, lincane ithuba lokungenwa isifo saseLyme esikhubazayo. Nokho, ukuthatha lezi zinyathelo zokuphepha ezilula kuzokwenza lelo thuba elincane libe lincane nangokwengeziwe. Ingabe kufanele ukuba sizikhathaze ngalezi zinyathelo zokuphepha? Buza noma yimuphi umuntu ophethwe isifo saseLyme.

[Ibhokisi ekhasini 14]

Izimpawu Zesifo Saselyme

Lapho Sisaqala:

○ Ukuqubuka

○ Ubuhlungu bemisipha namalunga

○ Ukuphathwa yikhanda

○ Ukuqina kwentamo

○ Ukuphelelwa ngamandla okukhulu

○ Imfiva

○ Ukukhubazeka kobuso

○ Isifo solwelwesi lobuchopho

○ Ubuhlungu nokuvuvuka kwamalunga, okufika ngezikhawu

Okungavamile:

○ Ukuvuvuka kwamehlo

○ Isiyezi

○ Iphika

Lapho Sesinesikhathi Sikuphethe:

○ Isifo sokuqaqamba kwamalunga, esiza ngezikhawu noma esiqhubekayo

Okungavamile:

○ Ukulahlekelwa inkumbulo

○ Ubunzima bokugxilisa ingqondo

○ Ukushintsha kwemizwa nemikhuba yokulala

Olulodwa noma ezengeziwe zalezi zimpawu zingase zibe khona ngezikhathi ezihlukahlukene phakathi nokungenwa yilesi sifo.—Lyme Disease—The Facts, the Challenge, enyatheliswe i-National Institutes of Health.

[Isithombe ekhasini 15]

Ukuhambahamba phakathi kwemithi kungakubeka engozini

[Isithombe ekhasini 16]

Ikhizane (lenziwe laba likhulu)

[Umthombo]

Yale School of Medicine

[Isithombe ekhasini 16]

Ikhizane (ubukhulu balo bangempela)