Impi Endala Yokufuna Impilo Engcono

UJOANNE wayehlala eNew York, enesifo sofuba (i-TB). Kodwa lena kwakungeyona nje i-TB evamile. Wayenegciwane elinenkani elalihlula cishe yonke imithi, elibulala isigamu sezisulu zalo. Nokho, uJoanne wayengayisebenzisi njalo imithi, futhi kakade bakhona ayesebathelele ngesifo se-TB. Udokotela wakhe okhungathekile wathi: ‘Kufanele avalelwe.’

I-TB ingumbulali omdala kakhulu. Izigidi zabantu ziye zagula futhi zabulawa i-TB. Ubufakazi balesi sifo buye batholakala ezidunjini ezomisiwe zaseGibhithe nasePeru yasendulo. Namuhla, amagciwane e-TB abuyé ngezinkani abulala abantu abangaba yizigidi ezimbili minyaka yonke.

UCarlitos, owayelele ohlakeni oluncane eqhugwaneni, wayenezithukuthuku ebunzini. Indlela ayesebuthaka ngayo ngenxa kamalaleveva wayengasakwazi ngisho nokukhala. Abazali bakhe abakhathazekile babengenamali yokumtholela imithi, futhi wawungekho umtholampilo eduze lapho babengamyisa khona umntanabo ayokwelashwa. Imfiva yaqhubeka iba namandla, futhi washona phakathi namahora angu-48.

Umalaleveva ubulala izingane ezingaba yisigidi ezinjengoCarlitos unyaka ngamunye. Emaphandleni aseMpumalanga Afrika, ngokuvamile izingane zilunywa omiyane abathwala umalaleveva izikhathi ezingu-50 kuya kwezingu-80 ngenyanga. Lab’ omiyane badlulela ezindaweni ezintsha, futhi imithi elwa nomalaleveva ayisasebenzi. Minyaka yonke, abantu ababalelwa ezigidini ezingu-300 baphathwa umalaleveva oyingozi.

UKenneth, indoda eneminyaka engu-30 ubudala eyayihlala eSan Francisco, eCalifornia, waqala ukuya kudokotela ngo-1980. Wayekhala ngohudo nokukhathala. Ngemva konyaka washona. Nakuba ayenakekelwa ochwepheshe bezokwelapha, wayelokhu ezaca, futhi ekugcineni wabulawa inyumoniya.

Eminyakeni emibili kamuva ebangeni elingamakhilomitha angu-16 000 ukusuka eSan Francisco, owesifazane osemusha enyakatho yeTanzania waqala ukuba nezimpawu ezifanayo. Ngemva kwamasonto ambalwa, wayengasakwazi ukuhamba, futhi ngokushesha ngemva kwalokho washona. Abantu bendawo babiza lesi sifo esiyinqaba ngokuthi isifo sikaJuliana ngoba kubonakala sengathi indoda eyayidayisa indwangu ehlotshiswe ngegama elithi Juliana iyona eyayimthelele ngalesi sifo nabanye besifazane bendawo.

Bobabili uKenneth nalona wesifazane waseTanzania babenesifo esifanayo: ingculaza. Ekuqaleni kwawo-1980, lapho nje kwase kubonakala sengathi isayensi yezokwelapha yayisiwanqobile amagciwane ayingozi kakhulu, kwaqubuka lesi sifo esisha esithathelwanayo saba uhlupho esintwini. Phakathi neminyaka engamashumi amabili, inani labantu ababulawa yingculaza laqala ukulingana nelabantu ababulawa ubhubhane olwashanela i-Eurasia ekhulwini le-14—ubhubhane abaseYurophu abangaphindanga balukhohlwa.

I-Black Death

Ukuqubuka kobhubhane okuthiwa i-Black Death kwaqala emuva ngo-1347, lapho umkhumbi owawuvela eCrimea ufika ethekwini laseMessina, esiqhingini saseSicily. Ngaphandle kwempahla evamile, lo mkhumbi wawuthwele nalolu bhubhane.a Ngokushesha i-Black Death yasakazekela kulo lonke elase-Italy.

Ngonyaka olandelayo u-Agnolo di Tura waseSiena, e-Italy, wachaza isimo esibi sedolobhana lakubo: ‘Abantu baseSiena baqala ukufa ngo-May. Lesi sifo sasinonya futhi sesabeka. Izisulu zazifa cishe ngokuphazima kweso. Kwakufa amakhulukhulu, emini nasebusuku.’ Wanezela: ‘Izingane zami ezinhlanu ngazingcwaba mina mathupha, benza kanjalo nabanye abaningi. Akekho owayekhala kungakhathaliseki ukuthi kwakushone bani ngoba cishe wonke umuntu wayelindele ukufa. Kwafa abantu abaningi kangangokuba wonke umuntu wayecabanga ukuthi kwase kuwukuphela kwezwe.’

Izazi-mlando ezithile zithi phakathi neminyaka emine, lolu bhubhane lwasakazekela kulo lonke elaseYurophu futhi cishe ingxenye yesithathu yabantu bakhona yafa—mhlawumbe abantu abaphakathi kwezigidi ezingu-20 nezingu-30. Ngisho nalé kude ezweni lase-Iceland lwafika futhi lwaqothula. Kuthiwa eMpumalanga Ekude, inani labantu baseChina lehla lisuka ezigidini ezingu-123 ekuqaleni kwekhulu le-13 laya ezigidini ezingu-65 ngekhulu le-14, cishe ngenxa yalolu bhubhane nendlala eyayihambisana nalo.

Kwakungakaze kube nobhadane, impi, noma indlala eyayibangele ukuhlupheka okukhulu kangaka ngaphambili. Incwadi ethi Man and Microbes ithi: “Kwakuyinhlekelele engenakulinganiswa emlandweni wesintu. Kwafa abantu abaphakathi kwengxenye yesine nesigamu baseYurophu, eNyakatho Afrika, nasezingxenyeni ezithile ze-Asia.”

Amazwe aseMelika asinda ekuqothulweni i-Black Death, ngenxa yokuthi aqhelile kwezinye izingxenye zomhlaba. Kodwa imikhumbi ehamba olwandle yakuqeda ngokushesha lokho. Ekhulwini le-16, iNtshonalanga Nenkabazwe yabhuqwa ubhadane lwezifo ezabonakala zibhubhisa ngaphezu kwalolu bhubhane.

Ingxibongo Inqoba Amazwe AseMelika

Lapho uColumbus efika eWest Indies ngo-1492, wachaza abantu bomdabu bakhona ngokuthi ‘bayathandeka bahle, bade ngokulingene futhi baqatha.’ Nokho, ukubukeka kwabo beyimiqemane kwafihla ukuthi babengagonyiwe ekungenweni yizifo ezivela eMpumalanga Nenkabazwe.

Ngo-1518 kwaqubuka ubhadane lwengxibongo esiqhingini saseHispaniola. Abomdabu baseMelika babengakaze bahlaselwe yingxibongo ngaphambili, ngakho umphumela waba inhlekelele. Ufakazi wokuzibonela waseSpain walinganisela ukuthi kwasinda abantu abayinkulungwane kuphela kulesi siqhingi. Ngokushesha lolu bhadane lwasakazekela eMexico nasePeru, nakhona kwaba nemiphumela efanayo.

Ekhulwini leminyaka elalandela, lapho amaNgisi efika ezokwakha endaweni yaseMassachusetts eNyakatho Melika, bathola ukuthi ingxibongo yayisiqothule cishe zonke izakhamuzi. Umholi walezi zifiki ezingamaNgisi uJohn Winthrop wabhala: “Abomdabu, cishe sebephele nya ngenxa yengxibongo.”

Kwalandela eminye imiqedazwe ngemva kwengxibongo. Umthombo othile ubonisa ukuthi ngemva kweminyaka eyikhulu kufike uColumbus, izifo ezaziza nezihambi zase ziqothule amaphesenti angu-90 abantu baseNtshonalanga Nenkabazwe. Inani labantu baseMexico lase linciphile lisuka ezigidini ezingu-30 laya kwezintathu, elasePeru lasuka ezigidini ezingu-8 laya esigidini. Kodwa-ke, ingxibongo ayizange ihlasele abomdabu baseMelika kuphela. Incwadi ethi Scourge—The Once and Future Threat of Smallpox ithi: “Phakathi nomlando wesintu, ingxibongo yabulala amakhulu ezigidi zabantu, ngaphezulu kakhulu kokwenziwa ubhubhane . . . nazo zonke izimpi zekhulu lama-20 zihlangene.”

Luselude Ukhalo

Namuhla, imiqedazwe eyesabekayo yobhubhane nengxibongo ibonakala iyizinhlekelele esezadlula. Ekhulwini lama-20, isintu sanqoba izimpi eziningi ekulweni nezifo ezithathelwanayo, ikakhulukazi emazweni asethuthukile. Odokotela bathola izimbangela zezifo eziningi, futhi bathola nezindlela zokuzelapha. (Bheka ibhokisi ekhasini elilandelayo.) Kwabonakala sengathi imithi yokugoma neyokulwa namagciwane ingozifo-zonke abakwazi ukuqeda ngisho nesifo esinenkani kakhulu.

Nokho, njengoba uDkt. Richard Krause, owayengumqondisi we-U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, esho, “izifo eziwumshayabhuqe ziqiniseke njengokufa nentela.” I-TB nomalaleveva kusekhona. Futhi umqedazwe wamuva nje wengculaza uye waba yisikhumbuzo esibuhlungu sokuthi izifo eziwumshayabhuqe zisewusongo emhlabeni. Incwadi ethi Man and Microbes ithi: “Izifo ezithathelwanayo ziseyimbangela eyinhloko yokufa emhlabeni; ziyohlala zinjalo isikhathi eside esizayo.”

Odokotela abathile banovalo lokuthi naphezu kwentuthuko enkulu ekulweni nezifo, okuye kwafinyelelwa kula mashumi ambalwa eminyaka adlule kungokwesikhashana. Isazi sokusakazeka kwezifo uRobert Shope siyaxwayisa: “Ingozi yezifo ezithathelwanayo isekhona—iyabhebhetheka.” Isihloko esilandelayo sizochaza ukuthi kungani kunjalo.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Amazwi acashunwe esihlokweni ekhasini 21]

Phakathi neminyaka engamashumi amabili inani labantu ababulawa yingculaza laqala ukulingana nelabantu ababulawa ubhubhane olwashanela i-Eurasia ekhulwini le-14

[Ibhokisi/Izithombe ekhasini 22]

Ulwazi Nezinkolelo-ze

Ekhulwini le-14, lapho i-Black Death isongela ukuqothula umkhaya kapapa e-Avignon, udokotela wakhe wamtshela ukuthi ukuqondana kwamaplanethi amathathu—i-Saturn, i-Jupiter ne-Mars—nophawu i-Aquarius yikona okuyimbangela eyinhloko yalolu bhubhane.

Emakhulwini amane eminyaka kamuva, uGeorge Washington wagula ephethwe umphimbo. Odokotela abathathu abadumile belapha le nkinga ngokukhipha cishe amalitha amabili egazi emithanjeni yakhe. Ngemva kwamahora ambalwa, lesi siguli safa. Ukwelapha ngokukhipha igazi kwakuyinqubo evamile yezokwelapha iminyaka engu-2 500—kusukela esikhathini sikaHippocrates kuze kube maphakathi nekhulu le-19.

Nakuba izinkolelo-ze namasiko kwathiya intuthuko yezokwelapha, odokotela abazinikele bazikhandla ukuze bathole izimbangela zezifo ezithathelwanayo namakhambi azo. Ngezansi kuchazwa intuthuko abayifinyelela ezicini ezimbalwa ezibalulekile.

◼ Ingxibongo. Ngo-1798, u-Edward Jenner waphumelela ekuthakeni umuthi wokugomela ingxibongo. Ekhulwini lama-20, imithi yokugoma iye yaphumelela ekunqandeni ezinye izifo, ezinjengovendle, i-yellow fever, isimungumungwana ne-rubella.

◼ Isifo Sofuba. Ngo-1882, uRobert Koch wakwazi ukuthola igciwane lesifo sofuba futhi wasungula nendlela yokuxilonga lesi sifo. Ngemva kweminyaka engu-60, kwatholakala i-streptomycin, umuthi owelapha isifo sofuba ngokuphumelelayo. Lo muthi wasiza nasekwelapheni ubhadane lwesifo sezimbilapho.

◼ Umalaleveva. Kusukela ekhulwini le-17 kuqhubeke, i-quinine—etholakala emagxolweni omjele—yasindisa ukuphila kwezigidi zabantu abanomalaleveva. Ngo-1897, uRonald Ross wathola ukuthi omiyane bohlobo lwe-Anopheles yibona abathwala lesi sifo, futhi kamuva kwasungulwa izindlela zokuqeda omiyane ukuze kuncishiswe ukufa kwabantu emazweni ashisayo.

[Izithombe]

Ishadi lokuma kwezinkanyezi (ngenhla) kanye nokwelapha ngokukhipha igazi

[Umthombo]

Both: Biblioteca Histórica “Marqués de Valdecilla”

[Isithombe ekhasini 19]

Namuhla, isifo sofuba esibuyé ngezinkani sibulala abantu abangaba yizigidi ezimbili ngonyaka

[Umthombo]

X ray: New Jersey Medical School–National Tuberculosis Center; man: Photo: WHO/Thierry Falise

[Isithombe ekhasini 20]

Umfanekiso oqoshiwe waseJalimane, owenziwa cishe ngo-1500, ubonisa udokotela efake isifihla-buso ukuze azivikele kuyi-“Black Death.” Uqhwaku lwalunamakha

[Umthombo]

Godo-Foto

[Isithombe ekhasini 20]

Igciwane elabangela ubhadane lwesifo sezimbilapho

[Umthombo]

© Gary Gaugler/Visuals Unlimited