Like every year, March 3 was World Hearing Day, which aims to raise awareness and promote hearing around the world. On May 30, 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) unanimously approved among its 195 member countries, in Geneva, Switzerland, Declare hearing loss as a non-communicable disease.
In Argentina, hearing impairment constitutes 18% of existing disabilities, 86.6% are hearing difficulties and 13.4% are deaf. One to 3 out of every thousand live births in the country have some degree of hearing loss and its early detection is protected under Law 25,415.
60% of hearing loss cases in children are due to preventable causes. Every newborn should be hearing screened, and early detection, appropriately and practiced on time, can make it easier for those with hearing loss to have access to communication, education, and employment in the future.
It is estimated that 30% of the Argentine adolescent population will suffer non-work hearing disorders (around 3 million people). For example, one in 5 individuals who listen to music for 3 hours a day at 95 decibels will suffer from some type of hearing loss after the age of 20.
In the third age, meanwhile, there is a progressive deterioration of hearing that conspires with the family and social communication of the elderly. This situation frequently generates isolation that results in the appearance of depressive symptoms and neurocognitive disorders that can be prevented with the use of hearing aid devices.
Some recommendations for the general population: periodic control of the ears and hearing upon school entry is recommended; never insert cotton swabs or other items (supervise children) into the ears; do not put drops in the ears without medical indication; the use of headphones must be controlled by hours of use and volume; hearing damage from noise exposure is irreversible; hearing loss, tinnitus, emotional disturbances and stress are part of the damage that noise can cause.
Head of the cochlear implants and hearing loss program of the otorhinolaryngology service of the Italian Hospital.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
