AIDS—Yachilendo m’Mbiri Yadziko

POSACHEDWAPA monga mu 1981 matenda otchedwa AIDS (Nthenda Yowononga Dongosolo Lotetezera Matenda) kwakukulukulu inali yosadziwika. Tsopano yafalikira pafupifupi mukontinenti lirilonse ndipo dziko likunthunthumira.

AIDS Imaukira dongosolo lotetezera laumunthu—kugwira ntchito kwathupi kaamba ka kutetezera matenda. Imachititsa mikhole yake kukhala yosatetezereka ku kensa yosawonekawoneka ndi matenda ena akupha. Nzika Zachimereka zochuluka kukwanira ku miliyoni imodzi, ndipo zikwi mazana ambiri m’maiko ena angakhale atagwidwa kale ndi nthenda yowopsa imeneyi.

Kumbuyoko mu 1980-81, madokotala m’Los Angeles ndi New York anayamba kukumana ndi zochitika za mtundu wosawonekawoneka za chibayo chotchedwa Pneumocystis carinii ndi kensa yomakula mwapang’onopang’ono yodziwika monga Kaposi’s sarcoma. Mikhole yonse inali mwina amuna achichepere ogonana ndi aziwalo zofanana nawo kapena ogwiritsira ntchito moipa anamgoneka. Madokotala anatcha zizindikiro zawo kukhala “zotulukapo za kutetezera matenda kwa mtundu wakutiwakuti wosadziwika.”

Dr. Ward Cates, wa Malo Apakati a U.S. Olimbana ndi Kuthetsa Matenda, pambuyo pake ananena kuti nthenda imeneyi inali ndi kuthekera kwa kukhala “yoipitsitsa koposa iriyonse imene mtundu wa anthu unawonapo ndi kale lonse.” Katswiri wanthenda zopatsirana Dr. John Seale anavomereza. M’dzinja la mu 1985, m’magazine a Briteni otchedwa Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, iye ananena kuti AIDS iri yokhoza kuchititsa “imfa mofala kwambiri m’mizinda yonse yokhalidwa ndi anthu ochuluka ndi midzi ya Maiko Osatukuka pamlingo waukulu mosafanana ndi wina uliwonse m’mbiri ya anthu.” 

Kusesa Dziko

AIDS inadziwikitsidwa choyamba m’United States mu 1981. Kuyambira pachiyambi chaching’ono chimenecho, chiwerengero cha mikhole yake m’dziko limodzi limeneli chinakula kufikira 10 000 podzafika April wa 1985 ndi kuposa 16 500 podzafika January wa chaka chino. Oposa 8 400 afa kale ndipo palibe chiyembekezo kaamba ka otsala onse, popeza kuti AIDS ikulingaliridwa kukhala yakupha chimodzimodzi.

Posachedwapa, chiwerengero cha mikhole chasimbidwa kukhala chikumawirikiza m’miyezi isanu ndi inayi iriyonse. Ngati mlingowu ukupitirizabe, podzafika pamapeto a zaka khumi pafupifupi nzika Zachimereka zokwanira theka la miliyoni zidzaphedwa ndi AIDS, pafupifupi ochuluka kufanana ndi amene anafa ndi mliri waukulu Wachispanya wa 1918-19. Palibe chikaikiro chakuti AIDS yatchedwa kuti “imodzi yanthenda zopatsirana zakupha koposa zadzikoli kapena lina lirilonse”!

Ngakhale poyamba mikhole yodziwidwa koposa inali m’United States, mwamsanga AIDS inali kusesa dziko lonse. The New York Times inasimba kuti: “Zochitika za AIDS m’Geneva ndi Paris tsopano nzofanana ndi zija za mu Los Angeles, zikumachitira chithunzithunzi kufala kwa zochitika kunja kwa United States.” Ndipo magazine a Time a October 28, 1985 anati: “M’West Germany, yemwe ali ndi zochitika 300, Gulu la Robert Koch likuyerekezera kuti pali onyamula kachirombo ka HTLV-III okwanira 100 000.”

Malinga ndi lipoti la m’ngululu yapita, mwa odwala odziwikitsidwa kukhala ndi nthendayo m’Yuropu, 61 peresenti anafa mkati mwachaka chimodzi—83 peresenti mkati mwa zaka zitatu.

Kudziwikitsa Chochititsa

Kuchiyambiyambi mu 1984 magulu awiri osiyana a ofufuza, m’makontinenti osiyana, analengeza kuti anali atadziwa kachirombo ka AIDS. Profesala Luc Montagnier pa Pasteur Institute mu Paris ndi Dr. Robert Gallo wa pa National Cancer Institute m’United States mosiyana anasimba kukhala atadziwikitsa kachirombo kamene kangakhale kochititsa AIDS. Kachirombo kameneka kamaukira kagulu kakang’ono ka masero oyera a mwazi otchedwa T-4 lymphocytes. Chotero, nzika za ku Falansa zinakatcha kukhala kachirombo kogwirizanitsidwa ndi lymphadenopathy (LAV), pamene nzika Zachimereka zinakatcha kukhala kachirombo-III (HTLV-III) kaumunthu ka T-sell lymphotropic.

Kodi nthenda ya m’mitundu yonse imeneyi inachokera kuti? Kodi ndimotani mmene inafalikirira mofulumira kwambiri chotero? Ndipo kodi ndimachenjezo otani omwe kungakhale kwanzeru kuwatenga? Mafunso ofunika amenewa akambitsiridwa m’nkhani zotsatira.

[Chithunzi patsamba 21]

Kachirombo ka AIDS kakukula m’maselo oyera a mwazi

[Mawu a Chithunzi]

Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Ga.