March 3 is celebrated on World Hearing day – World Hearing Dayan event involving over 100 countries around the world, to draw the attention of governments to the importance of hearing.
The message launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the 2023 edition of the Day is “Ear and Hearing care for all! Let’s make it a reality” (Healthy hearing for all! Let’s make it happen).
The main objective that WHO will seek to achieve this year is to highlight the importance of integrating hearing care into primary care as an essential component of universal health coverage. The starting point is the alarming numbers relating to the incidence of hearing disorders, which are constantly and worryingly increasing. Yet WHO reports that more than 60% of cases could be identified and treated at the primary care level, and therefore advocates that specialist hearing care be integrated into national health services around the world. Such a condition would benefit people and help countries achieve the more ambitious goal of universal health coverage.
On March 3, WHO will launch the document Primary ear and hearing care training manual directed at healthcare professionals.
WHO data
According to experts, about 5% of the world‘s population lives with a hearing loss and WHO estimates that, by 2050, about one in four people will experience some form of hearing loss. In recent years, the greatest alarm concerns the ever-increasing exposure to noise, especially in recreational environments. This has led WHO to predict that over one billion young people worldwide may be at risk of hearing loss due to unsafe listening habits.
Hearing loss in Italy
In Italy they are approx 7 million hearing-impaired people, corresponding to the 12.1% of the population (source: Census).
A hearing impairment, if not identified and corrected, can be responsible for important consequences and negatively influence the development of language and psychophysical well-being, right from the early stages of life.
The WHO considers, in fact, the secondary prevention of deafness, carried out through the introduction of programmes screening neonatal, the key to drastically reduce the disabling effects of the most frequent congenital neurosensory pathologies at birth.
Currently, in industrialized countries, the permanent hearing loss is found in approx 1-2 out of 1000 newborns undergo screening tests at birth. The number of permanent hearing defects increases with age with a prevalence of 2-3 per thousand at 5 years and 3-4 per thousand in adolescence.
Recent scientific evidence has highlighted that over 95% of newborns received hearing screening in Italy in 2017, usually before being discharged from the birth centre. In our country the art. 38 of the Prime Ministerial Decree of 12 January 2017 defining the Essential Levels of Assistance (LEA) guarantees the screening neonatal hearing aid to all newborns (source: ISTISAN Report 22/17 Auditory and visual newborn screening: recommendations)
Finally, there is a significant differentiation between age groups and a notable increase with aging (from percentages that do not exceed 10% of the 13-45 age group to 25% of those aged 61 to 80, up to 50% among the over 80s (source: Census)
In general, the importance of age in determining hearing limitation is highlighted; it is therefore advisable to contact your trusted doctor for the necessary periodic checks.
Udito Italia Onlus initiatives for the Day 2023
For the celebration of Day 2023 the organization Hearing Italy Onlus – Grandpa Listen to me! promoted, under the patronage of the Ministry of Health, the creation of an awareness event on the prevention of hearing disorders. In particular, this year the WHO document “Primary Ear and Hearing care training Manual”.
Udito Italia is a member of the WHF – World Hearing Forum – body established by WHO with the aim of establishing a global alliance for the promotion of hearing health in the world.
The event will take place in Rome on 2 and 3 March 2023, at the Auditorium of the Ministry of Health, Viale Giorgio Ribotta.
The experts gathered on 3 March will participate in the debate dedicated to the central theme proposed by WHO for the WHD “Ear and Hearing care for all! Let’s make it a reality”.
The correlation between hearing and driving safety, technological updating and the need to pay greater attention to the acoustic well-being of living environments will be the topics addressed during the day.
The works will be moderated by the president of the non-profit organization Valentina Faricelli, supported by the journalist Luciano Onder.
The debate will be anticipated on 2 March by the works of the Focus Groupwho will deepen the topics mentioned above and who have the task of drafting a document that contains 5 objectives that correspond to the pillars of strategic action, which welcomes the recommendations contained in the WHO Strategic Plan 2019-2021.
Laws the program of the day.
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