Hearing impairment and deafness are serious yet often invisible disabilities that can impose a heavy social and economic burden on individuals, families, communities and countries. 278 million people worldwide have moderate to profound hearing loss in both ears. 80% of deaf and hearing-impaired people live in low- and middle-income countries.
In adults, hearing impairment and deafness often make it difficult to obtain and keep employment. Hearing impairment in childhood has severe consequences for the development of speech, language and cognitive skills. Hearing impaired children in developing countries often do not have access to any form of education (98% of all children with disabilities in developing countries are not in school). Both children and adults may suffer from social stigmatization and isolation as a result of hearing impairment.
The burden of hearing impairment and deafness falls disproportionately on the poor, because they are unable to afford the preventative and routine care necessary to avoid hearing loss, or to afford hearing aids to make certain conditions manageable. Current annual production of hearing aids is estimated to meet less than 10% of global need. For poor families, the cost of batteries alone is prohibitive. (Hearing impairment is linked to all MDGs especially MDG1, 2, 4, 5, 7 &
The main causes of hearing impairment are illnesses that are less common in developed nations. Access to health care in developing countries can be scarce and often the population is less informed on health issues. As a result, up to 6% of children under the age of 10 years in developing countries suffer from chronic otitis media which, unless treated early, can cause severe hearing impairment.
50% of deafness and hearing impairment is avoidable through prevention, early diagnosis and management.
Why is hearing impairment and deafness not talked about more in the development context? Prevention of hearing impairment is relatively simple, yet little money is invested in this area.
