Mhesvi—Chituko cheAfrica Here?

YAKANYORWA NOMUNYORI WEMUKAI! MUNIGERIA

TAKANGA tichangobva kutamira kunzvimbo yomumaruwa muWest Africa. Sango renyika dzinopisa zvikurusa rakanga rakatipota. Mamwe masikati mudzimai wangu akapinda muwadhirobhu ndokuzhamba, kuti: “Muno mune gunura!”

Nhunzi yacho yakabuda muwadhirobhu nokukurumidza ndokupinda mukamuri rokugezera. Ndakabata keni yomushonga wokuuraya zvipembenene ndokuitevera, ndichivhara suo. Nhunzi yacho haina kuoneka. Kamwe kamwe yakabhururukira kuchiso changu. Yavakundirwisa! Ndichipuma namaoko, handina kubudirira kuirovera pasi. Yakabhururukira kuwindo. Sikirini yacho yakadzivisa kupukunyuka kwayo. Nhunzi yacho ndokumhara pariri.

Ndakanyatsonanga ndokupfapfaidza nhunzi yacho nomushonga unouraya zvipembenene. Kazhinji-kazhinji kufuridzira kwakananga kwakadaro kunouraya pakare pakarepo chipembenene chipi nechipi. Kwete nhunzi iyoyi. Yakabhururuka ndokupfuurira kuziririka ichitenderera mukamuri rokugezera.

Chinhu ichi chakasimba! Ndakanga ndichivimba kuti mushonga unouraya zvipembenene wacho ungaita basa rawo uye nhunzi yacho ingakurumidza kuwira pauriri. Asi haina kudonha. Payakamhara zvakare, ndakapfapfaidza kechipiri. Yakabhururuka zvakare.

Rudziiko rwenhunzi hombe urwu? Kumwe kupfapfaidza kwakananga kuviri kwakadaro pakupedzisira kwakaiuraya.

Ndakapfeka magirazi angu ndokunyatsoongorora chisikwa chacho. Yakanga yakakura kupfuura nhunzi yomumba, kunyange zvazvo isina kukura segunura. Mapapiro ayo akanga akachinjika pamusana wayo, kuchiipa chitarisiko chakasiyana nenhunziwo zvayo. Muromo murefu wakaita setsono waibva panharaunda yomuromo wayo.

Ndakadana mudzimai wangu: “Harisi gunura iri. Imhesvi.”

Chiitiko chacho chakandiorora nokunetsa kwokuedza kuparadza nhunzi yacho munzvimbo yayo yeAfrica yamasikweya kiromita ane 11,7 miriyoni, nzvimbo yakakura kupfuura iyo yeUnited States. Nemhaka yei vanhu vachida kuipedza? Pomero nhatu dzinoipiwa. Pomero yokutanga:

Inorarama Neropa

Kune marudzi 22 akasiyana-siyana emhesvi. Ose anogara muAfrica iri kumaodzanyemba kweSahara. Dzose, dziri mbiri dzechirume nedzechikadzi, dzinorarama neropa remhuka, dzichinwa rakawanda serinopfuura nakatatu uremu hwadzo muropa nokuruma kumwe chete.

Dzinofarikanya marudzi akawanda emhuka dziri kufura—dzose dziri mbiri dzomuAfrica neidzo dzisiri. Dzinorumawo vanhu. Kuruma kwacho kubaya kwakadzama, kwokukweva ropa, kwakapinza uye kunorwadza. Kunoswinya uye kunorwadza panguva imwe cheteyo. Kunozvimbisa.

Mhesvi dzine unyanzvi pabasa radzo. Hadzipambadzi nguva dzichibhururuka dzichitenderera nomusoro wako. Dzinogona kubhururukira pane mumwe munhu sebara uye neimwe nzira yakati kumira ndokumhara pachiso zvinyoronyoro kwazvo zvokuti hadzinzwikwi. Dzinogona kuva sembavha; iwe pane dzimwe nguva hauzivi kuti dzaba ropa rako kusvikira dzaenda—apo zvinenge zvangokusarira bedzi kuita kurangarira kuvadziko yacho.

Kazhinji kazhinji dzinofarira nyama iri pamhene. (Dzinoratidzika sedzinoda shure kwomutsipa wangu!) Padzimwe nguva, zvisinei, dzinosarudza kukwira negumbo remutirauzi kana kuti ruoko rwehembe dzisati dzaboora tsinga yeropa. Kana kuti kana dzikasarudza, dzinogona kuruma nomuchipfeko—ichocho hachisi chinetso nokuda kwechipembenene chinogona kuboora kunyange dehwe rakaoma rechipembere.

Vanhu havapomeri mhesvi bedzi nemhaka yokuti yakangwara asiwo kunyengera. Pane imwe nguva apo ndakaedza kuuraya imwe nomushonga unouraya zvipembenene, yakabhururuka ndokupinda muwadhirobhu yangu ndokuvanda muzvipfeko zvangu zvokushambira nazvo. Mazuva maviri gare gare apo ndakapfeka zvipfeko zvacho, yakandiruma kaviri! Pane imwe nhambo mhesvi yakahwanda muchikwama chomudzimai wangu. Akaenda nechikwama kuhofisi, uye apo akapinza ruoko mukati, nhunzi yacho yakamuruma paruoko. Ipapo yakabhururuka ichitenderera nekamuri, ichiparira nyonganyonga pakati pavashandi vomuhofisi. Munhu ari wose akarega basa kuti aedze kuitswanya.

Naizvozvo pomero yokutanga pamusoro pemhesvi ndeyokuti musvuti weropa anokuruma kunorwadza. Pomero yepiri:

Inouraya mhuka

Mhatsa dzakati dzemhesvi dzinopfuudzira hosha inokonzerwa nemaparasite anonzi trypanosomes. Apo mhesvi inokweva ropa remhuka ine chirwere chacho, inomedza ropa rine maparasite. Iwaya anokura ndokuwanda mukati menhunzi. Apo nhunzi inoruma imwe mhuka, maparasite acho anobva munhunzi ndokupinda muropa remhuka yacho.

Hosha yacho inonzi trypanosomiasis. Rudzi runovapo kumhuka runonzi nagana. Maparasite enagana anokura zvakanaka muropa remhuka dzakawanda dzomuAfrica, zvikurukuru ngwarati, nyati, nguruve yomusango, mhembwe, bimha, uye njiri. Maparasite acho haaurayi mhuka idzi.

Asi maparasite acho anoparadza zvipfuyo zvisiri zvizvarwa zvomuAfrica—ngamera, imbwa, mbongoro, mbudzi, mabhiza, manyurusi, majon’osi, nguruve, uye hwai. Maererano nemagazini yeNational Geographic, nagana inouraya mombe dzine mamiriyoni matatu gore rimwe nerimwe.

Vafudzi vemombe, vakadai savaMasai veEast Africa, vakadzidza nzira yokudzivisa nayo nzvimbo idzo mhesvi dzakawanda zvikurusa, asi kusanaya kwemvura yakakwana nokushayikwa kwamafuro padzimwe nguva zvinoita kuti ikoku kusabvire. Mukati mokusanaya kwemvura yakakwana kuchangobva kupfuura, mhuri ina dzaichengeta mombe dzadzo 600 pamwe chete dzakanga dzichirasikirwa nemhuka imwe zuva rimwe nerimwe nemhaka yenhunzi yacho. Lesalon, mukuru wemhuri pakati pavo, akati: “Isu vaMasai tiri vanhu vakashinga. Tinobaya shumba ndokutarisana nenyati iri kurwisa. Tinotswanya rovambira uye tinotarisana nenzou yakashatirwa. Asi neorkimbai [mhesvi]? Hatina chatinogona kuita.”

Mishonga iriko yokurapa nagana, asi dzimwe hurumende dzinobvumidza kushandiswa kwayo mutarisirwo bedzi yachiremba wemhuka. Pane chikonzero chakanaka nokuda kwaikoko, sezvo zvitsama zvisina kukwana zvisingakuvadzi mhuka bedzi asi zvinoparira maparasite acho kuva anotira kumushonga. Kungava kwakaomera mufudzi wemombe ari musango kuti awane chiremba wemhuka munguva kuti arape mhuka dzake dzofa.

Pomero mbiri dzokutanga dzokurwisana nemhesvi dzakabvumikiswa pasina nenharo dzose—inorarama neropa uye inoparadzira hosha inouraya mhuka. Asi kune zvakawanda. Pomero yetatu:

Inouraya vanhu

Vanhu havatambudzwi nenagana trypanosome. Asi mhesvi inofambisa rumwe rudzi rwetrypanosome kubva kumunhu kuenda kumunhu. Rudzi urwu rwetrypanosomiasis rwunonzi rukope. Rega kufunga kuti munhu ane rukope anongorarisa zvake. Hosha yacho hakusi kurara kunofadza. Inovamba nokunzwa kurwara, kuneta, uye tembiricha yakaderera. Pashure paikoko kunouya rukope rwenguva refu, tembiricha yakakwira marwadzo ezvipfundo, tsandanyama dzakazvimba, uye chiropa nespleen zvakazvimba. Pamwero yokupedzisira, sezvo maparasite anopinda nomugadziriro huru yetsinga, murwere anotambura kuderera kwesimba rendangariro, tsviyo, koma, uye rufu.

Murutivi rwapakuvamba rwezana rino ramakore, kutanga kwerukope kwakaparadza kondinendi yeAfrica. Pakati pa1902 na1905, hosha yacho yakauraya vanhu vanenge 30 000 pedyo neLake Victoria. Mumakumi amakore akatevera, hosha yacho yakapararira ndokupinda muCameroon, Ghana, uye Nigeria. Mumisha yakawanda chikamu chimwe muzvitatu chavanhu chakatapurwa, kuchida kubviswa kukuru kwavanhu mumipata yakawanda yenzizi. Mapoka aifambira akarapa mazana ezviuru zvavanhu. Murakatira wacho hauna kuderera ndokupera kutozosvikira pamugumo wama1930.

Nhasi hosha yacho inotambudza vanhu vane 25 000 gore rimwe nerimwe. Maererano neWorld Health Organization, vanhu vanopfuura mamiriyoni 50 munyika 36 dziri kuzasi kweSahara vari mungozi yokubata chirwere chacho. Kunyange zvazvo rukope ruchiuraya kana rukasarapwa, mishonga iriko yokururapa. Nguva ichangobva kupfuura iyi mushonga mutsva unonzi elfomithine wakagadzirwa kuti urape hosha yacho—mushonga mutsva wakadaro mumakore 40.

Vanhu vakarwa hondo yenguva refu mukurwisana nemhesvi uye hosha yadzinotakura. Muna 1907, Winston Churchill akanyora nezvenhimbe yokuparadza mhesvi, achiti: “Nhamburiko dzakaisvonaka dziri kuitwa dzokuisa kuparadza kupararira kwemhesvi.” Tichitarira zviitiko zvakapfuura, kuri pachena kuti “nhamburiko dzakaisvonaka” dzaChurchill hadzina kubudirira. Bhuku rinonzi Foundations of Parasitology rinoti: “Kusvikira pari zvino, makore 80 okubviswa kwemhesvi akava nesimba duku pakupararira kwemhesvi.”

Shoko Rokudzivirira

Mudetembi wechiAmerica Ogden Nash akanyora, kuti: “Mwari muuchenjeri Hwake akaita nhunzi, uye ipapo akakanganwa kutiudza chikonzero nei.” Nepo kuri kwechokwadi kuti Jehovha Mwari ndiye Musiki wezvinhu zvose, zvirokwazvo hakusiri kwechokwadi kuti anokanganwa. Anotibvumira timene kuzviwanira zvinhu zvizhinji. Zvakadiniko ipapoka nezvemhesvi? Pane here chimwe chinhu chinofanira kutaurwa mukudzivirira ichi chakaipa chiri pachena?

Zvichida dziviriro yakasimba zvikurusa kusvikira panguva ino ndeyokuti basa rayo mukuparadza mombe rakashanda kudzivirira mhuka dzemusango dzemuAfrica. Nharaunda dzakawanda dzeAfrica dzakafanana nemapani okumadokero eUnited States—nyika yacho imene inokwanisa kutsigira zvipfuwo. Asi nemhaka yemhesvi, zvipfuwo zvinourawa netrypanosomes iyo isingaurayi mhuka dzinofura dzomusango.

Vazhinji vanodavira kuti kudai kwakanga kusiri nokuda kwemhesvi, nzvimbo zhinji dzinochengeterwa mhuka dzeAfrica dzinodai dzakatsiviwa kare kare nemombe. “Ndinotsigira mhesvi,” akadaro Willie van Niekerk, mutungamiriri wenzvimbo inochengeterwa mhuka yeBotswana. “Kana tikabvisa mhesvi uye mombe dzichavhozhokera, uye mombe ndidzo mharadzi dzeAfrica, dzinoparadza kondinendi kuva sango rimwe guru.” Akawedzera, kuti: “Nhunzi inofanira kugara.”

Haasiri munhu ari wose anobvumirana naizvozvo, chokwadika. Chibvumikiso chacho hachipwisi munhu anotarira mwana wake kana kuti chipfuyo chake chichitambura netrypanosomiasis. Hachipwisi avo vanotaura kuti Africa inoda mombe kuti izvipe imene zvokudya.

Kunyange zvakadaro, nenzira isingarambiki kune zvakawanda zvokudzidza nenzira pamusoro pebasa iro mhesvi inoita muchisiko. Kunyange zvazvo pomero dzainoitirwa dzichiratidzika kuva dzakasimba, zvichida kunyanyokurumidza kuisa chisarudzo.

Tichitaura nezvenhunzi, imwe ichangobva kumhanyira mukamuri. Ndiregerei apo ndinenge ndichiva nechokwadi chokuti haisiri mhesvi.

[Vakatipa Mufananidzo uri papeji 11]

Mhesvi: ©Martin Dohrn, The National Audubon Society Collection/PR