FAMILY/FAMILIA




HIKI NDICHO KINACHOVUTIA MBU KUMUUMA BINADAMU
Ukitaja  mbu, wazo litakalomjia mtu kwa haraka ni ugonjwa wa malaria. Hiyo inatokana na mazoea yenye ukweli kwamba, mdudu huyo hueneza ugonjwa huo kama ilivyo kwa malale na matende.
Lakini kuna baadhi ya mambo kuhusu tabia ya mbu ambayo watu wengi hawayafahamu, mbali  na sifa yake ya  kueneza magongwa, hasa malaria.
Hebu jiulize; hivi umewahi kukaa na wenzako watano lakini ukajikuta ni wewe peke yako ndiye unayelalamika kwamba unang’atwa na  mbu?
Kama umekutwa na hali hiyo,  basi unaweza kuwa mmoja wa watu walio kivutio kwa mbu.
Kwa kawaida, mvuto hutokana na harufu ya asili inayotoka mwilini mwa mtu anayeshambuliwa zaidi na mbu.
Wanasayansi wanasema kwamba mtu mmoja kati ya watano huwa kivutio cha mbu na kwamba mdudu huyo akinusa harufu ya mtu huyo, hata akiwa na wenzake zaidi wanne, basi atakwenda kwake na kwamba hata akifukuzwa, mbu huyo atarudi na kumuuma tena mtu huyo.
Daktari bingwa wa upasuaji wa Marekani, Joseph Mercola anasema kuwa kuna aina nyingi za mbu, lakini asilimia kubwa ya mbu wenye tabia hiyo ni mbu jike aina ya Anofelesi, ambao pia huambukiza malaria.
Anasema kuwa mbali na tabia hiyo mbu hao huvutiwa na maeneo yenye kemikali kwa kunusa harufu hiyo umbali wa mita 50 kutoka  walipo kabla ya kwenda kwenye eneo hilo. Mbu jike ndiyo huvutiwa zaidi na kupenda kunyonya damu ya binadamu kuliko mbu dume.
Dk Mercola ambaye ameandika majarida mbalimbali ya afya, anasema kuwa mbu jike hupendelea kufanya hivyo kwa sababu madini ya chuma na protini wanayonyonya kwenye damu ya binadamu huwasaidia kutengeneza mayai na baadaye kuzaliana.
Kutokana na hilo, wanasayansi wamebaini kuwa mbu huvutiwa na  bakteria.
Wanasema binadamu ana bakteria trilioni moja kwenye ngozi, lakini kati ya hao, asilimia 10 tu ndiyo hufanana kwa binadamu wote na asilimia nyingine hutofautiana, hali ambayo huchangia baadhi ya watu kuumwa zaidi na mbu kuliko wengine.
Kwa mujibu wa wanasayansi hao, asilimia kubwa ya mbu huvutiwa zaidi na harufu ya kemikali ya lactic, ammonia,  carboxylic na octenol  ambazo hutoka kinywani kwa binadamu, kwenye jasho, pamoja na gesi carbon dioxide anayotoa binadamu.
“Kadri unavyotoa hewa yenye gesi ya Carbon dioxide ndipo unavyowavutia zaidi mbu. Kutokana na hilo, watu wanene hung’atwa zaidi na mbu kwa sababu hutoa harufu hiyo zaidi ikilinganishwa na watu wembamba,” anasema Dk Mercola.
Moyo
Kuhusu  mapigo ya moyo, mtaalamu huyo anasema: “Kadri moyo wako unavyodunda, ndivyo unavyoweza kuwa kivutio kwa mbu. Mfano, kama unafanya mazoezi na mwili wako ukapata joto  sana lazima mbu watakung’ata zaidi hasa ukiwa na pumzi ndogo.”
Dk Mercola anasema mbu huvutiawa na harufu inayotokana na mabadiliko ya kemikali ndani ya mwili wa binadamu.
Anaeleza kuwa mara nyingi mabadiliko hayo hutokea na kusababisha mtu kutoa jasho na harufu ya kipekee.
 “Kama unanukia harufu nzuri ambayo ni halisi, mbu hawavutiwi na wewe. Lakini ikitokea unanuka uvundo, basi lazima utakuwa kivutio chao na watakusumbua na kukuuma zaidi,” anasema.
Maelezo ya wanasayansi hao yanaendana na utafiti uliofanywa na wataalamu wa afya kutoka Taasisi ya Ifakara (IHI), ulioangazia tabia ya mbu hasa harufu, ilipotafiti njia mbadala ya kukinga binadamu dhidi ya wadudu hao.
Watafiti hao walibaini kuwa, mbali na maeneo yenye unyevunyevu, mbu huvutiwa zaidi na harufu ya uvundo. Sehemu au kitu chochote chenye harufu hiyo, huwa na mbu zaidi.
Utafiti huo wa Ifakara, umewawezesha kubuni mbinu mbalimbali za kuuwa mbu, ikiwamo ya ‘mosquito landing box’, ambalo hujazwa vitu vilivyovunda pamoja na kifaa chenye shoti na huwekwa nje ya nyumba ili kuwavutia mbu ambao hufa kwa kupigwa shoti. Boski hilo hufanya mbu wasiingie ndani ya nyumba.
Daktari kutoka Hospitali ya Mwanyamala, Dar es Salaam, Dk Syriacus Buguzi anasema kuwa kuna tafiti kadhaa ambazo zimeonyesha uhusiano uliopo kati ya harufu na tabia ya mbu.
Akitoa mfano wa watu wanaowavutia zaidi mbu anasema: “Moja tafiti zilizowahi kufanywa ni zile zinazohusu wanawake wajawazito, ambao hung’atwa zaidi na mbu kutokana na harufu wanayotoa wakiwa katika  hali hiyo.
“Ili kigundua kwa nini kina mama hawa walikuwa wakishambuliwa na malaria zaidi wakati wa ujauzito, iligundulika kwamba hutoa harufu fulani inayowavutia mbu … iliaminika kwamba kina mama hao hutoa jasho lenye kemikali ambayo ina harufu inayovutia mbu.”
Pia, utafiti uliofanywa mwaka  1999 ulibaini kuwa jasho la binadamu likikaa kwa siku mbili huanza kutoa harufu ya uvundo na kuvutia mbu, hasa waenezao ugonjwa wa malaria.
Pia, bakteria wanaotengenezwa kutokana na joto, huoza na kutengeneza  kemikali yenye harufu inayowavuatia mbu.
Kadhalika, mbu huvutiwa na harufu ya joto linalotoka kwenye miguu, baada ya kuvaa viatu kwa muda mrefu. Daktari huyo anasema hata ikitokea mtu amevua soksi na kuzihifadhi bila kuzifua, mbu watajaa katika sehemu hiyo kutokana na harufu.
Hata hivyo, Dk Buguzi anasema mbali na mbu kuvutiwa na harufu hizo, kuna wakati pia mwili wa binadamu hutoa harufu ambayo huwafanya wakimbie.
Anasema harufu hiyo ambayo kitaalamu huitwa ‘methylpiperzine’ ndiyo wataalamu waliyotumia kutengeneza dawa ya kufukuza mbu inayoitwa kitaalamu ‘DEET’ (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide)
Watu wanaotoa kamikali ya ‘1-methylpiperzine’ hawafuatwi na mbua kama ilivyo kwa wale ambao hawatoi  kemikali hiyo.
Unawezaje kujikinga
Dk Mercola anabainisha kwamba namna bora na ya asili ya kujikinga na mbu ni kukaa ndani ya nyumba, ambako hakuna mbu.
Anasema ukikaa nje hasa sehemu zenye unyevunyevu ambazo mbu hupendelea lazima  watakung’ata.
“Hakikisha unafanya usafi wa mazingira nje ya nyumba yako na kusiwe na unyevunyevu,” anasema.
Taasisi ya Kuzuia Mbu ya Marekani (AMCA) ilianisha njia nyingine zinazoweza kusaidia watu kujizuia kuumwa na mbu ambazo ni pamoja na kusafisha mazingira na kuondoa madimbwi ya maji nje ya nyumba.
Pia, kuvaa mavazi ambayo hayaachi baadhi ya sehemu za mwili wazi kama miguu na mikono kwa kuwa maeneo hayo yakifunikwa vizuri siyo rahisi mbu kuuma.
Dk Janet Hull wa Marekani anasema utafiti uliofanyika mwaka 1960 ulibainisha kuwa, unywaji wa vidonge vya Vitamini B1 unasaidia kufukuza mbu asimuume binadamu.
“Matone hayo husaidia mwili kutoa hafuru ambayo huwafanya mbu wasimsogelee binadamu huyo,” anasema.
Dk Hull anasema kunywa kidonge kimoja cha Vitamini B1 kwa miezi saba ni njia nzuri  inayoshauriwa na wataalamu wa afya ili usiumwe na mbu.
Anaongeza kuwa ulaji  wa vitunguu swaumu mara kwa mara pia husaidia kutoa harufu ambayo hufanya mbu wakimbie wanapokaribiana na mtu mwenye harufu hiyo.
Ufanyaje?
Daktari wa tiba ya magonjwa ya binadamu, Samweli Shitta anasema mbali na mbu waenezao malaria, kuna aina nyingi za mbu.
Anasema baadhi ya watu wakiumwa na mbu huvimba, wengine huwashwa na wengine hupata vipele au harara ambazo huacha makovu kwenye ngozi.
“Kuna mbu waenezao ugonjwa wa matende, kuna wengine wakikung’ata unawashwa, unapata upele na wengine kupata uvimbe kwa sababu ngozi zinatofautiana,” anasema.
Anasema ikiwa mtu amepatwa na hali hiyo anaweza kutumia dawa za kutibu mzio, ambazo husaidia kupunguza muwasho, kuondoa harara pamoja na alama zinazoweza  kutokea kwenye ngozi.
Dk Mercola anaongeza kuwa, njia nyingine ni kutumia dawa za asili kama mdalasini kwa kuchanganya na asali, kisha kupaka mwilini, mafuta ya mzeituni, sabuni ya ‘citronella’  na mafuta ya nazi.


SOURCE:MWANANCHI Jumatano Mei 13,  2015






MALARIA DIAGNOSIS NOW IN 20 SECONDS WITH NO BLOOD
Dar es Salaam.Testing for malaria, Africa’s biggest killer, has for many years involved pain and blood, with patients having to wait several minutes before knowing whether they are infected or not.

Gone are the days of testing blood samples for malaria parasites and results can now be obtained within 20 seconds, thanks to a breakthrough in malaria diagnosis made earlier this week. The test costs 50 US cents (Sh800), which is much lower than what most private hospitals charge for a blood slide test.
The new testing method is the result of research financed to the tune of $100,000 (Sh160 million) by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

According to a report obtained by The Citizen, the method does not require blood samples or reagents to establish whether someone is infected with malaria parasites. Patients are tested through their skins, with results being known within 20 seconds.

The kit used does not require a medical professional to do the testing and can be powered by a car battery, according to Dr Dmitri Lapotko from the US-based Rice University, who discovered the device.
“Ours is the first through-the-skin method that’s been shown to rapidly and accurately detect malaria in seconds without the use of blood sampling or reagents,” he said.

The new test kit requires only one body cell to detect the disease, and is a far cry from labour-intensive traditional testing methods, which are usually conducted by medical professionals.

The new test has been described as “very accurate” because it relies on a laser, which creates minute vapour bubbles that give off a signature sound when the device is placed on the skin.

Dr Lapotko said the technology had been found to be safe in healthy humans. Malaria parasites have become more resistant to drugs, and efficient skin testing and early diagnosis are largely unavailable in the countries like Tanzania, which have been hit hard by the killer scourge.

Malaria is one of the world’s deadliest diseases, causing over 600,000 deaths among the more than 300 million people it affects worldwide annually.

According to the 2012 World Health Organisation report, malaria is a global health priority and is prevalent in 99 countries where 3 billion people are at risk of acquiring the disease. Health experts in Tanzania say the new testing method will go a long way in reducing malaria deaths in the country.

The disease is one of the leading causes of death in Tanzania, where there are between 10 and 12 million malaria cases annually.

Ninety-seven per cent of the population is at risk of acquiring malaria, with the illness accounting for over 30 per cent of the national disease burden, according to government statistics.

Rural people are at a higher risk because of a shortage of health centres and health professionals to carry out diagnosis accurately.
Dr Julius Massaga of the National Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) says even at the cost of 50 US cents (Sh800), the new test kit will still be out of the reach of many Tanzanians.

He adds, however, that NIMR has not done any research on the new test and health workers still use the rapid diagnostic test (RDT), which entails microscopic examination of blood samples. “The RDT, which can provide results within 15 minutes. We are not aware of the invention of another testing method,” Dr Massaga admits.

But the head of the Pathology Unit at Muhimbili National Hospital, Dr Amos Mwakigonja, says he was not entirely surprised because nanotechnology had been doing wonders in medicine.
“Such devices are easy to use, but I don’t think we’ll see them in Tanzania any time soon because of the advanced technology used in their development,” he says.

The new diagnostic technology uses a low-powered laser that creates tiny vapour “nanobubbles” inside malaria-infected cells. The bursting bubbles have a unique acoustic signature that allows for an extremely sensitive diagnosis.

The skin diagnostic method takes advantage of the optical properties and nanosize of hemozoin, a nanoparticle produced by a malaria parasite inside red blood cell. Hemozoin crystals are not found in normal red blood cells.

Inexpensive rapid diagnostic tests exist, but they lack sensitivity and reliability. The gold standard for diagnosing malaria is a “blood smear” test, which requires a sample of the patient’s blood, a trained laboratory technician, chemical reagents and high-quality microscope. These are often unavailable in low-resource hospitals and clinics in the developing world.

SOURCE: THE CITIZEN, Wednesday, January 15, 2014




BINTI MBARONI AKITUHUMIWA KUTUPA MTOTO
Bunda. Mkazi wa Kijiji cha Namibu wilayani Bunda, Adventina Makongo (17) jana alifikishwa katika Mahakama ya Hakimu Mkazi wa wilaya hiyo kujibu shtaka la kutupa mtoto wake mwenye umri wa mwaka mmoja na nusu kichakani.
Ilidaiwa mahakamani hapo na Mwendesha Mashtaka,Mkaguzi Msaidizi wa Polisi, Masoud Mohamed kuwa Adventina alitenda kosa hilo Desemba 15 mwaka huu saa moja jioni katika kile alichodai kuwa ni kushindwa kumhudumia mtoto huyo aliyekimbiwa na baba yake.
Masoud alisema siku hiyo mshtakiwa alimchukua mtoto wake na kwenda naye nje kidogo ya kijiji hicho na kumtelekeza katika kichaka kisha akatokomea kusikojulikana kabla ya mtoto huyo kuokotwa na msamaria aliyempeleka Kituo Kidogo cha Polisi cha Kibara.
Alisema baada ya kupokea taarifa hiyo polisi ilianza kumsaka mzazi huyo ambapo lilifanikiwa kumkamata baada ya wiki moja, baadaye na kukiri kufanya kosa hilo kutokana na ugumu wa maisha unaomkabili.
CHANZO: MWANANCHI: TAREHE 01/01/2014

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BE PART OF YOUR FAMILY
ACCEPT wisdom as a beloved member of your family. For wickedness brings grief to a family, but wisdom brings happiness. Love your family and be kind to them. The fool who provokes his family to anger and resentment will finally have nothing worthwhile left; he shall be the servant of a wiser man. Prov.7:4, Prov.8:31.


WATOTO 5,800 WAISHI HATARINI DAR

na Irene Mark


WATOTO zaidi ya 5,800 wanaishi katika mazingira magumu na hatarishi jijini Dar es Salaam.
Hayo yalibainika wakati wa uzinduzi wa ripoti ya utafiti wa hali halisi ya maisha ya watoto waliopo kwenye mazingira magumu na hatarishi iliyozinduliwa jana na Mkurugenzi wa Manispaa ya Ilala, Gabriel Fuime.
Katika uzinduzi huo, Fuime aliwataka wadau mbalimbali yakiwemo mashirika ya kiraia kushirikiana na serikali ili kuwaokoa watoto hao huku akibainisha kwamba kuendelea kuwaacha kwenye mazingira hayo kunakwamisha maendeleo ya nchi.
“Ripoti inaonyesha Jiji la Dar es Salaam kwa kiasi kikubwa lina watoto wengi wanaoishi katika mazingira hatarishi…hatuna budi kushirikiana kuhakikisha tunakiokoa kizazi hicho kwa faida ya taifa zima,” alisema Fuime.
Katika utafiti huo imebainika kwamba watoto 687 sawa na asilimia 68 ya watoto 1,006 waliohojiwa walisema wamekuja Dar es Salaam kutokana na hali ngumu ya maisha huko vijijini.
Awali Kamishna wa Ustawi wa Jamii, Danford Makala, alisema ipo haja ya kuwaokoa watoto hao ili kuwaondoa katika changamoto ya ukosefu wa elimu na malezi bora.
Utafiti huo umefanywa na vituo vya Kiwohede, Dogodogo na Makini vilipewa msaada na serikali kwa hisani ya Shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa linaloshughulikia watoto (UNICEF) ili kuboresha maisha ya watoto wanaoishi kwenye mazingira magumu na hatarishi.
Makala alisema asasi hizo zilifanya utafiti huo wenye lengo la kupata uelewa zaidi wa hali ya watoto wa mitaani jijini hapa ili kupanga na kutekeleza mikakati inayolenga kuwafikishia huduma muhimu.

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  jumamosi, 8 septemba 2012, Tanzania Daima

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