The report proposed a package of measures, which it estimated would cost $ 1.33 per person per year.
Geneva:
One in four of the world’s population will suffer from hearing problems by 2050, the World Health Organization warned on Tuesday, calling for extra investment in prevention and treatment.
The first global hearing report said that the causes of many of the problems – such as infections, illnesses, birth defects, exposure to noise and lifestyle choices – could be avoided.
The report proposed a package of measures, which it estimated would cost $ 1.33 per person per year.
Against this, he defined the figure of almost one trillion US dollars lost every year because the issue was not being properly addressed.
“Failure to act will be costly in terms of the health and well-being of the people affected and the financial losses resulting from their exclusion from communication, education and employment,” said the report.
One in five people worldwide have hearing problems today, he said.
But the report warned: “The number of people with hearing loss could increase more than 1.5 times over the next three decades” to 2.5 billion people – up from 1.6 billion in 2019.
Of the 2.5 billion, 700 million would have a serious enough condition in 2050 to require some type of treatment, adding up to 430 million in 2019.
Much of the expected increase is due to demographic and population trends, he added.
Poor access to treatment
One of the main factors that contribute to hearing problems is the lack of access to care, which is particularly notable in low-income countries, where there are far fewer professionals available to treat them.
Since almost 80% of people with hearing loss live in these countries, most are not getting the help they need.
Even in richer countries with better facilities, access to care is often uneven, the report said.
And the lack of accurate information and the stigma surrounding ear diseases and hearing loss also prevent people from getting the care they need.
“Even among health care providers, relevant knowledge for the prevention, early identification and treatment of hearing loss and ear diseases is commonly lacking,” he noted.
The report proposed a package of measures, including public health initiatives, from reducing noise in public spaces to increasing vaccination for diseases such as meningitis, which can cause hearing loss.
He also recommended systematic screening to identify the problem at key points in people’s lives.
Among children, he said, hearing loss can be prevented in 60 percent of cases.
“It is estimated that one trillion US dollars is lost each year due to our collective failure to adequately treat hearing loss,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in the report.
“Although the financial burden is enormous, what cannot be quantified is the suffering caused by the loss of communication, education and social interaction that accompanies untreated hearing loss.”
(This story has not been edited by the NDTV team and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)