The following activities
have been undertaken by the WHO programme on ear and hearing care with support
from the International Society of Audiology.
A. Development of technical
and information materials related to the World Hearing Day 2021
On 3 March 2021, WHO led
the World Hearing Day. A number of information products were developed
including:
B. Launch of the World Report
on Hearing
The World report on hearing
was launched by the WHO on 3 March 2021 with the following launch events:
- Global virtual launch event in English
transmitted live on 3 March 2021 (details)
- Global virtual launch event in Chinese
transmitted as a pre-recorded event on 3 March 2021 (details)
- Regional launch in South-East Asia held
as a live event on 4 March 2021
- Regional launch in the region of the
Americas held as a live event on 4 March 2021
- Press briefing with launch of new
hearing loss data on 2 March 2021 (read here)
In addition, numerous
national launches were held, e.g., Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Zambia
and others.
C. Dissemination actions
following the launch
- Regional consultation on implementation
of the World report on hearing was held in the Eastern
Mediterranean region on 1-2 June 2021 with participation of 23
participants from 10 countries.
- Consultation of the Central and East
Africa Forum for ear and hearing care was held on 24 June 2021 to discuss
the implementation of the World report on hearing. With
participation of 18 participants from 9 countries.
- Regional consultation on implementation
of the World report on hearing was held in the region of the
Americas on 16-17 June 2021 with participation of 31 participants from 14
countries.
- Webinar to discuss implementation of the
World report on hearing in the countries of the Caribbean was held
on 1 July 2021. 25 participants from 6 countries participated in the
webinar.
D. Launch of companion handbook:
“Hearing screening: considerations for implementation”
To facilitate the
implementation of the recommendations made in the World report on hearing and
to assist Member States in setting up screening programmes for ear and hearing
problems, WHO is launching the “Hearing screening:
considerations for implementation” handbook. The handbook provides
guidance on ear and hearing screening in:
·
Newborns
and infants
·
School
children
·
Older
people
The launch is organized for
15 September 2021. (Details)
Following this, a series of three webinars were organized focusing on the
specific target groups for screening.
E. Ear and hearing care
situation analysis
Using the WHO ear and
hearing care situation analysis tool, assessments are being undertaken in the
following regions:
·
South-East
Asia region (selected countries)
·
Region
of the Americas (selected countries)
·
African
region (region-wide)
·
Western-Pacific
region (region-wide)
Challenges faced:
Challenge was posed by the
ongoing pandemic which has made it essential to undertake all events and
activities virtually. Despite this, widespread media coverage was gained, and
political interest has been generated through the launch and dissemination of
the World report on hearing.
Planned actions:
- Development and launch of the Global
standard for safe listening entertainment venues and events
- Development of service delivery models
for provision of hearing technologies in LMICs
- Development of training resources for
health workers and primary level doctors
