HEALTH WATCH> A deafening trend

By Dr Cory Couillard

INTERNATIONAL EAR CARE Day, which was celebrated on March,3 highlighted that the most common causes of hearing loss can be avoided and treated.

Hearing loss is a significant problem and the World Health Organization (WHO) now estimates that over 5 per cent of the world’s population experience disabling hearing loss.

According to the report, about half of these cases can be easily prevented or treated with improved self-care, ear health education, and effective policy-making efforts. However, many low- to middle-income countries lack the capacity to prevent and care for these cases.

Common hitches in national programmes include limited trained health personnel, educational facilities, data, and national plans to address the needs of those living with ear and hearing problems.

“The results of this survey are a clear call to action for governments and partners to invest in hearing care especially at community and primary level,” says Dr Etienne Krug, Director of the WHO Department of Violence and Injury Prevention and Disability. “The programmes must aim to benefit all, including disadvantaged parts of the population who are least able to access hearing services.”

In children, chronic mismanaged ear infections are the leading cause of hearing loss. Immunizing children against childhood infectious diseases such as meningitis, measles and mumps can also reduce hearing loss, mostly in childhood, but also later in life.

The most common ear-damaging noise exposure is from portable music players. A national study found that among users of portable music devices, 35 per cent of adults and up to 59 per cent of teenagers reported listening at excessively loud volumes.

Even toys meant for young children have been found to generate ear-damaging levels of noise. Some toy sirens and squeaky rubber toys have been reported to emit sounds as loud as a lawn mower. Other potential hazards include cap guns, talking dolls, vehicles with horns and sirens, and musical instruments.

According to WHO’s website, “good ear care practices, such as reducing exposure to noise and avoiding insertion of objects into the ears, can prevent many from developing ear and hearing problems. A large percentage of people living with hearing loss can benefit from early identification and appropriate treatment.”

For example, pre-school and school screening for ear diseases and hearing loss has been shown to minimize the impact of hearing loss on a child’s development and educational achievements. These successes may be key to help achieve the 2015 Millennium Development Goal of ensuring all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling.

People who struggle with hearing loss often need to overcome many obstacles and the size of the social stigma is out of proportion compared to that of eyeglasses, canes, walkers and wheelchairs.

“Ear and hearing problems and the use of hearing aids are often associated with myths and misconceptions”, says Dr Shelly Chadha of the WHO unit for the Prevention of Blindness and Deafness. “National programmes should therefore not only focus on prevention and service provision but also on awareness raising.”

This highlights that handling negative stigmas and prejudices are not solely an individual’s responsibility and effective policymaking and public health awareness efforts must bridge these gaps to ensure continued personal and national developments. 

Dr Couillard is an international health columnist WHO works in collaboration with the World Health Organization's goals of disease prevention and control. Views do not necessarily reflect endorsement.

Twitter: DrCoryCouillard