Kodi Aids Yafalikira Kwambiri Motani mu Afirika?

Ndi mlembi wa Galamukani! mu Afirika

MWACHIWONEKERE inu munamva za zonenedweratuzo. Zinali zochititsa mantha. Mamiliyoni okhala m’kontinenti ya Afirika akayambukiridwa ndi AIDS. Mphamvu ya munthu yodzitetezera ikanyonyosoka, akumasiyidwa ali wopanda chitetezo chachibadwa akumakanthidwa ndi nthenda zowopsa. Monga momwe zinaliridi ndi mliri wochokera kumakoswe umene unakantha Ulaya m’zaka za zana la 14, unatsatiridwa ndi imfa ndi chipiyoyo pamlingo waukulu.

Ndiyeno panali bata kwakanthaŵi ponena za AIDS. Madongosolo ofalitsira nyuzi anasimba zambiri, ndipo anthu anayamba kudera nkhaŵa za zonenedweratu za nthaŵi ya chipiyoyo chochititsa kakasicho. Kodi ikakhala yowopsa kwambiri chotero? Kodi kwenikweni nchiyani chimene chiri ukulu wa mliri wa AIDS mu Afirika?

“Palibe amene akudziŵa chimene ziŵerengero za mtsogolo zidzakhala,” akutero wopima AIDS wina Dr. Andre Spier. Komatu iye sali wotsimikizira. “Chiŵerengerocho chidzakhala chachikulu ndipo chowonongadi kuchitaganya chonse.” Mofananamo, pamsonkhano wamitundu yonse wa AIDS mu 1988 ku Stockholm, Sweden, Dr. Lars Kallings ananeneratu kuti “mkati mwa zaka zoŵerengeka zokha . . . [mudzakhala] ziŵerengero za akufa zochititsa mantha.”

Zoposa “zaka zoŵerengeka” zapita chiyambire kuneneratu kumeneko. Tsopano zonenedweratu zambiri nzolondoladi. Ziŵerengero zoyerekezeredwazo zayamba kukhala mitembo. Ndipo zoipa koposa zidzachitika.

Akufa ndi Oyembekezereka Kufa

Imfa yopulula ndi chipiyoyo zikusesa mbali zambiri za Afirika m’chigawo cha Sahara. “M’madera ena a kumizinda,” likutero lipoti lina laposachedwapa m’magazini ya sayansi yotchedwa Nature, “AIDS tsopano ndiyo chochititsa imfa nambala wanu mwa achikulire ndiponso imodzi ya nthenda zazikulu zakupha pa makanda.” Mumzinda wina wa mu Afirika, ansembe amakakamizika kwambiri kusamalira maliro makumi ambiri ochititsidwa ndi AIDS amene amafunikira kupereka ulaliki.

Mu October 1991 atsogoleri a maboma a Commonwealth amene anakumana mu Harare, Zimbabwe, anapatsidwa chikalata chonena za AIDS mu Afirika. Kunavumbulidwa kuti pakati pa 50 ndi 80 peresenti ya mibedi yonse ya m’zipatala za m’maiko ena a mu Afirika panthaŵiyo inali ndi odwala AIDS. Ponena za Uganda wokanthidwa kwambiriyo, katswiri wina wa AIDS Dr. Stan Houston anaulula kuti AIDS yapha kale anthu ochuluka mu Uganda koposa amene anaphedwa m’zaka 15 zankhondo yachiŵeniweni m’dziko limenelo.

Zoziziritsa nkhongono mofananamo ndizo zotulukiridwa ndi madokotala ndi asayansi mu Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Mkati mwa nyengo ya miyezi ingapo, mitembo yonse m’nyumba zachisoni ziŵiri zazikulu koposa za mzindawo inapimidwa. Nchotulukapo chotani? Magazini a Science, amene anali ndi lipoti lake, anaulula kuti AIDS inapezedwa kukhala “chochititsa imfa choyambirira” pakati pa anthu achikulire mu Abidjan. Magaziniyo ikuwonjezera kuti ziŵerengero zotchulidwazo “mwinamwake zikuchepetsa chiŵerengero chenicheni cha akufa ndi HIV [Kachirombo Kowononga Dongosolo la Kudzitetezera kwa Thupi la Munthu].”

Ngakhale WHO (Gulu Lapadziko Lonse Lazaumoyo), limene limapenda kufalikira kwa matenda padziko lonse, likuvomereza kuti zimenezi ziri kokha kutulukiridwa kwa zochepetsetsa chabe za vutolo. Malinga nkunena kwa magazini ya New Scientist, gulu la WHO “liri lokhutiritsidwa maganizo kuti maiko ambiri Kummaŵa ndi Pakati pa Afirika apereka kokha lipoti la chigawo chimodzi mwa khumi cha odwala AIDS . . . Kuchitira lipotiko nkosakwanira ndipo nkosalondola chifukwa chakuti kupimako kuli kosakwanira.”

Kuyambukira Mobisika

Chinthu chimodzi chochititsa mantha ponena za AIDS ndicho nyengo yake yaitali yobisika ya kuyambukira pamene zizindikiro zenizeni za AIDS zisanawonekere kotheratu. Pakuti kufikira kuzaka khumi, munthu woyambukiridwa angasunge kachirombo ka HIV kakuphako m’thupi lake. Iye angawonekere kukhala akupeza bwino ndi wathanzi. Kusiyapo ngati mkholewo upimidwa panthendayo, iye sazadziŵa konse kuti ali ndi nthenda yosachiritsika yotero—kufikira pamene zizindikiro zake ziwonekera! Iri mbali imeneyi ya chiŵerengero cha anthu owonekera ngati athanzi labwino, koma ali oyambukiridwa, imene ikuwanditsa mosadziŵa nthendayo AIDS.

Kupimidwa kwa mlingo wa HIV kukuvumbula ukulu umene mliri wakupha umenewu tsopano ukukanthira mwamphamvu mu Afirika. Mwachitsanzo, magaziniyo African Affairs, imasonyeza kuti “chigawo chokhalidwa ndi anthu ambirimbiri m’mbali mwa Nyanja ya Victoria . . . chikusimba za kuwanda kwa [HIV] kwakukulu . . . , kuyambira cha pa 10 kufikira pa 18 peresenti kwa achikulire onenedwa kukhala okhala paupandu wochepa kapena apakati ndi pakati kufikira ku 67 peresenti ya awo okhala ndi chiŵerengero chachikulu cha mabwenzi ogonana nawo.” Mofananamo, magazini a Nature anayerekezera kuti “m’chiŵerengero wamba cha anthu achikulire, kuyambukiridwako kwafalikira mwapang’onopang’ono chiyambire 1984, chikumafikira 20 mpaka 30 peresenti m’malo a m’mizinda yokanthidwa koposa.” Tangolingalirani—pafupifupi gawo la chitatu la chiŵerengero cha anthu achikulire oyembekezera chilango cha imfa mkati mwa zaka khumi!

Maboma ndi atsogoleri, amene kale anali osafunitsitsa kuulula ukulu wa AIDS, tsopano akufikira pakuzindikira kuwopsa kotheratu kwa mliriwo. Amene kale anali pulezidenti mu Afirika anapereka malingaliro ake a kulimbana ndi AIDS—mwana wake wamwamuna atafa nayo. Posachedwapa mtsogoleri wina waboma anachenjeza kuti pali anthu 500,000 oyambukiridwa ndi HIV m’dziko mwake. Ambiri a ameneŵa sanadziŵe kuti anali kudwala matenda osachiritsika ndipo anali kuwanditsa mliriwo mwa khalidwe lawo losadzisungira.

“Auzeni Zimene Zachitika Kuno”

Pamene peresenti ya anthu okanthidwa ndi HIV ikukwera mosalekeza koma motsimikizirika, chiŵerengero chimene potsirizira pake chimadwala kwambiri ndi kufa chidzawonjezeka kwakukulu. Monga chotulukapo chake iwo adzasiya chisoni chosaneneka ndi mavuto. Pamalire a Uganda ndi Tanzania okanthidwa ndi AIDS, zimenezi zinachitikira Khamlua wa zaka 59. Chiyambire 1987 iye waika m’manda 11 a ana ake ndi zidzikulu—onsewo mikhole ya AIDS. “Ndilengezereni kudzikoli madandaulo angaŵa,” iye akudandaula motero, atakanthidwa ndi tsokalo. “Auzeni zimene zachitika kuno.”

Chifukwa cha njira zenizenizo zimene AIDS ikuwanditsidwa nazo, zimene zinachitikira Khamlua mu Afirika zikuwopseza kuchitika m’mbali zambiri za dziko. ‘Koma,’ inu mungafunse, ‘kodi nchifukwa ninji Afirika akusimbidwa mogogomezera chotero za tsoka ndi mavuto a anthu?’

[Mawu Otsindika patsamba 3]

M’maiko ena amene akutukuka kumene, “podzafika 1993, AIDS idzakhala chochititsa imfa chimodzi chachikulu koposa.”—The World Today, England