Hearing Loss: WHO says 338m people will be affected in Africa by 2050

The World Health Organization (WHO) has predicted that by 2050, there may be over 338 million individuals in Africa who are impacted by ear and hearing disorders, as the world observes this year's World Hearing Day.

WHO regional director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, disclosed this in a statement in commemoration of the 2023 World Hearing Day, with the theme: “Ear and hearing care for all! Let’s make it a reality.”

According to her, more than 1.5 billion individuals throughout the world have ear issues or hearing loss, with roughly 80 percent of them residing in low- and middle-income nations.

“In Africa, an estimated 135 million people have ear and hearing problems. These numbers are rising. At the current rate, it is likely that by 2050 there could be over 338 million people affected by ear and hearing issues in Africa,” said Moeti.

She claims that many persons who have hearing loss do not know where or how to get assistance or do not have access to the required services. According to her, this has a significant impact on the impacted individuals', families', and communities' life.

The scarcity of ENT doctors and audiologists in the countries, continued Moeti, is another factor contributing to the excessive burden of these illnesses.

“In the African Region, nearly US$ 30 billion are lost due to the collective failure to address hearing loss adequately,” she noted.

According to Moeti, primary level of care can detect and frequently treat more than 60% of common ear disorders and hearing loss.

However, she regretted that in most places, access to ear and hearing care continues to be limited to highly specialised centers and clinics. “It is important to address these conditions across the continuum of care for people needing these services who must seek specialized services, often in distant hospitals,” she said.

Moeti added that it is possible to ensure these services by training a non-specialist workforce that serves as the first point of contact for the communities. He added that integrating ear and hearing care into primary care services is possible through training and capacity building at this level to address the challenges.

“To facilitate such integration, we have launched a primary ear and hearing care training manual that is intended to inform doctors, nurses, and other health workers. We have no doubt this manual will benefit people and help countries move towards the goal of universal health coverage, “ she said.

She urged governments to enhance their campaign, political, and financial commitment and prioritize ear and hearing care health programs as part of their noncommunicable illnesses and universal healthcare agendas.