Wednesday, October 09, 2024 - The World Health Organisation
(WHO) has said the number of people in Africa living with hearing loss could
rise to 54 million by 2030, unless urgent measures are taken.
WHO, in a report published on Monday, October 7 said hearing
loss, which currently stood at 40 million, costs the continent $27 million
annually, exacting a profound impact on lives and economies.
The report launched at the African Summit on Hearing
Impairment in Nairobi, Kenya, said widespread hearing loss disproportionately
affects poor and vulnerable populations.
WHO warned that without urgent interventions it would
continue to escalate, amplifying existing inequalities in access to health
services.
The UN agency said hearing loss has far-reaching
consequences for children, including delays in language development, thus
increasing the risk of poor educational outcomes and limited career prospects
in the future.
Meanwhile, adults with untreated hearing loss often face
isolation, loneliness and increased risk of depression and dementia.
The report details numerous factors driving the surge in
hearing loss in WHO’s Africa Region which covers 47 countries. The most common
among them is the acute shortage of ear and hearing care (EHC) specialists, as
well as uneven distribution of the available workforce, which is mainly in
urban areas.
“For example, more than 56
per cent of African countries have just a single ear, nose and throat (ENT)
specialist for every million people, whereas in Europe, it is roughly 50 per
million.
“Meanwhile, more than
three-quarters of countries have fewer than one audiologist and one speech and
language therapist for every million people.
“Although 33 million Africans
could benefit from a hearing aid, only around 10 per cent have access due to
lack of EHC financing, and consequent high costs,” WHO said.
The report noted that among children living in low and
middle-income countries, up to 75 per cent of hearing loss is due to
preventable causes such as infections and common ear diseases, as well as birth
complications.
However, it noted that most countries do not routinely
conduct hearing screening of newborns.
“Even in countries with EHC
programmes, related interventions are not integrated into school and workplace
health programmes or healthy ageing programmes.
“This challenge is further
compounded by a lack of national policies and plans for strengthening delivery
of EHC and low implementation even where they exist.“Additionally, 35 per cent
of countries do not have a budget allocated to EHC activities, meaning patients
must bear the entire cost of treatment and care,” it said.
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