The World Health Organization (WHO) says more than 360 million people have hearing loss worldwide yet there are not enough hearing aids to meet the demand for them.
In makring International Ear Care Day on March 3, the WHO warned that the current production of hearing aids is meeting less than 10% of the global need.
As the population ages globally, more people than
ever before face hearing loss. One in every three people over the age of 65 – a
total of 165 million people worldwide – lives with hearing loss, according to
WHO.
Another 32 million people affected by hearing loss
are children under the age of 15. Many of whom live in low- and middle-income
countries – particularly in South Asia, Asia and the Pacific and sub-Saharan
Africa – where untreated ear infections lead to hearing loss.
“About half of all cases of hearing loss are easily
preventable while many can be treated through early diagnosis and suitable
interventions such as surgically-implanted hearing devices,” Shelly Chadha of
the Department of Prevention of Blindness and Deafness. .
WHO encourages countries to develop programs for
preventing hearing loss within their primary health care systems, including
vaccinating children against measles, meningitis, mumps and rubella; screening
and treating syphilis in pregnant women; and early assessment and management of
hearing loss in babies.
According to the figures released prior to the
International Day, fewer than one out of 40 people who need a hearing aid in
developing countries have one. WHO said it is exploring technology transfer as
a way to promote access to hearing aids in those places.
The agency also cited sign language training and
social support as beneficial for people with disabling hearing loss.
No comments:
Post a Comment