World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that without urgent interventions, widespread hearing loss, which disproportionately affects poor and vulnerable populations, will continue to escalate, amplifying existing inequalities in health services access across Africa.

According to a news report by WHO, about 40 million people live with hearing loss in Africa, but the figure could rise to 54 million by 2030, if urgent measures are not taken to address the problem.

The report launched, yesterday, highlighted that the hearing loss has a profound impact on human lives and economies, costing Africa $27 billion yearly.

Essentially, the report warned that the far-reaching consequences of hearing loss in children include delays in language development, raising the risk of poor educational outcomes and limited future career prospects while adults with untreated hearing loss often face isolation, loneliness and an increased risk for depression and dementia.

The report identifies multiple factors driving the surge in prevalence of hearing loss in the African region. Primary among these is an acute shortage of Ear and Hearing Care (EHC) specialists, as well as mal-distribution of available workforce to the advantage of urban areas.

Over 56 per cent of African countries, for example, have only a single ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist for every million people. In comparison, the European region has about 50 for every million people.

The report adds: “More than three-quarters of African countries have one audiologist and one speech and language therapist for every one million people. In addition, although 33 million Africans could benefit from a hearing aid, only about 10 per cent have access due to lack of EHC financing, and consequent high costs.

“Data from 43 African countries show that while 36 countries provide EHC services at the tertiary level, similar services are not offered at primary care level. This is despite the fact that the common causes of hearing loss are mostly preventable through simple public health interventions, or measures to mitigate the risk factors,” it stated.

Among children living in low and middle-income countries, the report says, up to 75 per cent of hearing loss is due to preventable causes, such as infections and common ear diseases as well as birth complications. Yet, the analysis found that most countries do not routinely conduct hearing screening of newborns.