3月3日是国际爱耳日，世界卫生组织新发布的报告显示，到2050年全球将有四分之一的人听力受损。听力健康，是时候该引起重视了。

 

Nearly 2.5 billion people worldwide ─ or 1 in 4 people ─ will be living with some degree of hearing loss by 2050, warns the World Health Organization's (WHO) first World Report on Hearing, released Tuesday. At least 700 million of these people will require access to ear and hearing care and other rehabilitation¹ services unless action is taken.

 

"Our ability to hear is precious. Untreated hearing loss can have a devastating² impact on people’s ability to communicate, to study and to earn a living. It can also impact on people’s mental health and their ability to sustain relationships," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

 

The report, launched ahead of World Hearing Day on 3 March, underlines the need to rapidly step up efforts to prevent and address hearing loss by investing and expanding access to ear and hearing care services. Investment in ear and hearing care has been shown to be cost-effective: WHO calculates that governments can expect a return of nearly $16 for every $1 invested.

 

Lack of accurate information and stigmatizing³ attitudes to ear diseases and hearing loss often limit people from accessing care for these conditions. Even among health-care providers, there’s often a shortage of knowledge about prevention, early identification and management of hearing loss and ear diseases, hampering⁴ their ability to provide the care required.

 

In most countries, ear and hearing care is still not integrated into national health systems and accessing care services is challenging for those with ear diseases and hearing loss. Moreover, access to ear and hearing care is poorly measured and documented, and relevant indicators⁵ are lacking in the health information system.

 

But the most glaring gap in health system capacity is in human resources. Among low-income countries, about 78% have fewer than one ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist per million population; 93% have fewer than one audiologist per million; only 17% have one or more speech therapist per million; and 50% have one or more teacher for the deaf per million. This gap can be closed through integration⁶ of ear and hearing care into primary health care through strategies such as task sharing and training, outlined in the report.

 

In children, almost 60% of hearing loss can be prevented through measures such as immunization for prevention of rubella and meningitis, improved maternal⁷ and neonatal care, and screening for, and early management of, otitis media - inflammatory diseases of the middle ear. In adults, noise control, safe listening and surveillance of ototoxic medicines together with good ear hygiene⁸ can help maintain good hearing and reduce the potential for hearing loss.

 

Identification is the first step in addressing hearing loss and related ear diseases. Clinical screening at strategic points in life ensure that any loss of hearing and ear diseases can be identified as early as possible.

 

Once diagnosed, early intervention⁹ is key. Medical and surgical¹⁰ treatment can cure most ear diseases, potentially reversing the associated hearing loss. However, where hearing loss is irreversible, rehabilitation can ensure that those affected¹¹ avoid the adverse¹² consequences of hearing loss.

 

Hearing technology, such as hearing aids and cochlear implants¹³, when accompanied by appropriate support services and rehabilitative¹⁴ therapy are effective and cost-effective and can benefit children and adults alike.

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