USolwazi Quarraisha Abdool Karim wase-UKZN Uqokwe Njenge-Fellow kwi-Royal Society

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UNgoti wezifo ezisulelanayo owaziwayo uSolwazi Quarraisha Abdool Karim uqokwe njenge-Fellow kwi-Royal Society - okungenye yemiklomelo ephambili kakhulu usosayensi angay ithola.

I-Royal Society, eyasungulwa ngowe-1660, iyisikhungo sesayensi esidala kunazo zonke futhi esihlonishwa kakhulu emhlabeni. I-Fellowship iklonyeliswa kubantu abenze igalelo elikhulu ekuthuthukiseni ulwazi lwemvelo.

Njengelinye ilunga le-Royal Society, u-Abdool Karim ujoyina u-Stephen Hawking, u-Isaac Newton, uCharles Darwin kanye no-Albert Einstein, abake baba ama-Fellows ngesikhathi somlando oqhakazile weNhlangano. Uphinde ahlanganyele nabanye abantu baseNingizimu Afrika abayisithupha abangama-Fellows e-Royal Society - IPhini likaShansela leNyuvesi yase-Wits kanye noSolwazi uZeblon Vilakazi; umcwaningi wesifo sofuba uSolwazi Valerie Mizrahi; udokotela wezifo eziwumshayabhuqe uSolwazi Salim Abdool Karim; usokhemisi uSolwazi Tebello Nyokong; isazi se-Physics uSolwazi Bernie Fanaroff, kanye nesazi se-Theoretical Physics uSolwazi George Ellis.

U-Abdool Karim uphinde abe Umqondisi Wezesayensi Yesikhungo Sesikhungo Socwaningo Lwengculazi eNingizimu Afrika (esaziwa kafuphi ngele-CAPRISA), kanye no-Pro Vice-Chancellor wase-UKZN (African Health).

Ukukhethwa kwakhe eNhlanganweni i-Royal Society kuwukuvuma okunamandla komsebenzi wakhe ohamba phambili ekuvimbeleni i-HIV, ikakhulukazi kwabesifazane abasebasha e-Afrika. Ucwaningo lwakhe lube nomthelela omkhulu, lwazisa inqubomgomo yezempilo yomhlaba wonke futhi lusindisa izimpilo ezingenakubalwa.

Lokhu kuhlonishwa kwakamuva kuqinisekisa isithunzi se-UKZN njengesikhungo sokwenza kahle ocwaningweni lwesayensi kanye nokuqamba izinto ezintsha ezwenikazi lase-Afrika.

Eminyakeni engaphezu kwamashumi amathathu, u-Abdool Karim ubambe iqhaza eliphambili ekubumbeni umkhakha wokuvimbela i-HIV emhlabeni wonke, ikakhulukazi ekuthuthukiseni ubuchwepheshe bokuvimbela emantombazaneni asakhula nabesifazane abasebasha. Ucwaningo lwakhe oluyingqophamlando lubonise ukuthi izidambisigciwane zinganqanda ukudluliswa kwe-HIV ngokocansi, zenze isisekelo esinamandla se-pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

Ekhuluma nokuxhumana phakathi komsebenzi wakhe wokucwaninga weminyaka engama-40 nobulungiswa bezenhlalakahle, u-Abdool Karim wathi: ‘Ubani othwele umthwalo omkhulu wengculaza? Yilabo abampofu kakhulu lapho sibhekene nenqwaba yezinselelo. Umthwalo wezifo ezithathelwanayo nokungalingani emphakathini kuyahambisana.’

Unezincwadi ezingaphezu kwama-300 ezibuyekezwe ngama-Peer reviewers futhi usize ukuqeqesha osoSayensi base-Afrika abangaphezu kwama-600. Ukuzinikela kwakhe ekufundiseni nasekunikezeni amandla abesifazane kwezesayensi kukhuthaze isizukulwane esilandelayo sabacwaningi, siqinisekisa umthelela ongapheli kwisayensi kanye nocwaningo lwezempilo yomphakathi kanye nenqubomgomo eyaziwa ngele-evidence-based policy.

U-Abdool Karim unguSolwazi we-Clinical Epidemiology e-Mailman School of Public Health e-Columbia University ese-New York, futhi uphethe njengoSihlalo we-John C. Martin we-Global Health e-CAPRISA. NjengoMongameli we-The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), ungohamba phambili ebuholini besayensi bomhlaba futhi njengeNxusa Elikhethekile le-UNAIDS Labantu abasebasha maqondana nesandulela-ngculazi, uyaqhubeka nokubamba iqhaza elibalulekile ekuhlinzekeni ukwesekwa kwesayensi ekulweni nesifo i-AIDS emhlabeni wonke.

IPhini likaShansela kanye noThishanhloko wase-UKZN uSolwazi Nana Poku uhalalisele u-Abdool Karim, wathi: ‘Ukuzinikela kwakhe, ubuholi kanye nokwenza kahle kwezesayensi kuyaqhubeka kusikhuthaza sonke futhi kuqinise indima ebalulekile edlalwa yiNyuvesi yethu ekuthuthukiseni ulwazi oluguqula izimpilo. Sonke masibungaze le mpumelelo ebalulekile ngokukhulu ukuziqhenya.’

IPhini leSekelashansela kanye neNhloko yeKolishi Lesayensi Yezempilo (CHS) uSolwazi Busisiwe Ncama uhambe emazwini eSekela-Shansela: wathi :‘I-UKZN iyisikhungo esiphezulu sesayensi futhi ihambisana kahle nomuntu ofana noSolwazi Quarraisha Abdool Karim - ozinikele impilo yakhe yonke ekuphishekeleni isayensi. Siyaziqhenya ngaye kanye nokuhlangana kwakhe ne-CHS yase-UKZN, isifundazwe sonke saKwaZulu-Natal naseNingizimu Afrika. Ngihlale ngithi ubengakhetha ukuba noma yikuphi emhlabeni, kodwa uhlale ethembekile kulesi sikhungo nasesifundazweni lapho abantu abaqavile njengaye befuduka.’

U-Abdool Karim uzokwamukelwa ngokusemthethweni njenge-Fellow ye-Royal Society emcimbini ozoba seLondon ngoNtulikazi.

Chofoza lapha ukuze ubuke ukusabela kukaProfessor Quarraisha Abdool Karim ekukhethweni njenge-Fellow ye-Royal Society yase-UK.

Umbhalo: Minoshni Pillay kanye no-MaryAnn Francis

Isithombe: Gabriel Attwood