Give ear to healthy hearing

Many childhood cases preventable

WHILE nearly 32 million children across the world live with disabling hearing loss, a new report published by the World Health Organisation suggests that 60% of these cases are preventable.

Today is World Hearing Day, which aims to raise awareness and promote ear and hearing care across the world.

The theme for World Hearing Day this year is “Childhood hearing loss; act now, here’s how”.

According to the South African Hearing Institute, it is estimated that 7.5% of school-going children struggle with their hearing.

“A child who struggles to hear may also struggle to learn to speak, underachieve at school, and end up socially isolated,” WHO Department for Management of Noncommunicable Diseases, Disability, Violence and Injury Prevention director Dr Etienne Krug said.

“But this doesn’t have to happen. We have a range of tools to help prevent, detect and treat childhood hearing loss.”

The WHO has identified a host of causes for childhood hearing loss, with an estimated 40% attributable to genetic causes; 31% to infections such as measles, mumps, rubella and meningitis; and 17% to complications at birth, including prematurity, low birth-weight and neonatal jaundice.

In addition, an estimated 4% of cases result from expectant mothers and newborns unknowingly taking medicines that are harmful to hearing.

The WHO recommends that to prevent childhood hearing loss, immunisation should play a vital role. They also propose the regulation of certain medicines and controlling noise levels.

The report further states that the early identification of those children with hearing loss helps to trigger muchneeded interventions, such as the provision of hearing devices and other communication therapies.

At this stage, there is no compulsory hearing screening for newborns in South Africa.

“Hearing screening programmes for infants and preschool and schoolbased children, alongside hearing care training for health professionals, can dramatically improve the lives of children.

“Such programmes ensure that those in need of specialised care receive the interventions they need to be able to communicate, receive education and gain employment later in life,” the WHO report states.

According to the report, the WHO will be collating data on hearing loss to demonstrate its prevalence, causes and impact, as well as opportunities for prevention and management; assists countries to develop and implement strategies for hearing care that are integrated into the primary health-care system; and provides technical resources and guidance.