Most people and even policy makers ignore me, there is Long stigmatisation of me, leading to inattention of me. I lack visible symptoms. One trillion US dollars is lost as a result of the collective failure to address me. World Health Organization (WHO) saw my importance, hence declared every 3rd March as a day to celebrate me. Guess whom I am! Hearing/Hearing loss.
Dr. Zhang Haidi, President of Rehabilitations International Disabled Person’s Federation, China described Hearing loss as Hidden Disability. This can be deduced that when one has Hearing loss, it is hardly to observe physically until you talk to the person, and even society still don’t believe that the person has Hearing loss because all the physical features are in tact: the society rather perceived that the person with Hearing loss pretend not to hear what people say as a way of ignoring them. This has gone on and on, and stilling going on.
Before we continue the discussion, let briefly look at the meaning of Hearing to get the concept. Hearing is one of the senses that help us to perceive sounds around us through our engagement with our environment, communicating with others and expressing our thoughts with the help of healthy and functional ears. Hearing Capacity is your ability, my ability or our ability to perceive sounds around us. Our inability to perceive sounds around us is what we call Hearing loss, this can be permanent or temporary and/or both ears (bilateral) or one ear (unilateral).
Bryan Adams, a renowned musician once said “music is everything, and so is your hearing”. Bryan added that what is most important is the way we enjoy our music; volume can danger our Hearing forever, hence losing our sense of hearing won’t come back. Please, have you once sat down quietly to think through some of the concerns raised by Bryan Adams to shape your lifestyle on music and noise? Its never late: the time is now. The WHO buttressed Bryan Adams claims with empirical data that 1.1billion young people are at risk of permanent hearing loss from listening to music at loud volume over prolonged period of time. This type of Hearing loss is what the science family call Noise-Induced Hearing Loss. Additionally, living in a noisy environment like market, drinking spot where music is played loudly and others can prone you to the above condition. Noise is now important public health issue and a top environmental risk. The loudness of sounds is measured in units called decibels (dB). Any loudness of sound more than 80dB can damage the ears. It is advisable to have loudness of sounds less than 20dB to keep your ears healthy.
It must be noted that common ear diseases, ear infections as well as vaccine-preventable disease can lead to Hearing loss if not giving attention to seek immediate medical attention. Some are born with Hearing loss due to problems during pregnancy, and even at birth. Nutritional deficiencies like Vitamin A, Zinc, Iron can lead to Hearing loss. Also, be careful with medications you use over-the- counter because some can affect your hearing capacity. Consult your health professional before taking any drug. Trauma to ear or head, exposure to toxic chemicals, smoking as well as age can put you at risk of developing Hearing loss.
It’s about time policy makers, health institutions, government and others start the debate on this “hidden Disability” now than late to protect ear and hearing health of the populace. This can be achieved in the following ways;
Hearing screening and intervention.
Ear disease prevention and management.
Access to technologies.
Rehabilitation services.
Improved communication.
Noise reduction.
Greater community engagement.
Good ear hygiene is key to hearing capacity. Avoid use of cotton-tipped swabs for the ear, avoid inserting or instilling any objects (eg. matchsticks, feathers, pins, pencils etc) or liquids into the ears, the use of home remedies for common ear conditions like plant juices, hot oil instillation and ear candling should be discouraged. Seeking prompt medical attention to treat common cold, ear pain or ear discharge or ear bleeding or hearing loss is best way to go.
As youthful and exuberant we are, it is our duty to protect our ears in a noisy environment by practicing safe listening strategies like;
1. Regular use of earplugs as hearing protection (for instance; well-inserted earplugs help to reduce the level of exposure by 5-45dB).
2. Maintain a distance from the sources of sound.
3. Minimize time spent in noisy environments (one can take short breaks from noisy environments).
As you go out, watch out for your ears for your sense of hearing won’t come back if there’s damage. Hearing is health but hearing loss is “invincible or hidden disability”.
Credit.
World Report on Hearing. Geneva: World Health Organisation; 2021. Licence:CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
Kwasi Omaro 