Global investment to reduce the burden of hearing loss

Bolajoko O Olusanya,Adrian C Davis

doi:10.1016/s2214-109x(21)00508-8

Abstract

In May, 2017, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution on prevention of deafness and hearing loss,1 in response to the call to action on the increasing prevalence and burden of hearing loss,2 and the disability-inclusive provisions of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.3 The resolution urges Member States to integrate strategies for ear and hearing care into their primary health-care systems, under the umbrella of universal health coverage. The resolution also highlighted the important role of WHO in facilitating the implementation of this resolution.

Highlights

Global investment to reduce the burden of hearing loss In May, 2017, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution on prevention of deafness and hearing loss,[1] in response to the call to action on the increasing prevalence and burden of hearing loss,[2] and the disability-inclusive provisions of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.[3]
The resolution called for a World Report on hearing, using the best available scientific evidence, which was accomplished in March, 2021.4 The report presents a comprehensive roadmap to guide Member States in developing appropriate national programmes to address the burden of hearing loss over the life course
The results showed that the cumulative per-capita discounted costs of screening and treatment as well as the gains in disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) increased across all income levels under the three scenarios

Summary

Introduction

In May, 2017, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution on prevention of deafness and hearing loss,[1] in response to the call to action on the increasing prevalence and burden of hearing loss,[2] and the disability-inclusive provisions of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.[3]. The economic rationale and implications of the recommended interventions were excluded from this landmark report except the estimated yearly societal costs of US$750 billion for unaddressed hearing loss.[4] To date, no studies have explored the economics of a standardised package of interventions globally and at all income levels over the life course.[6,7,8] Reported in The Lancet Global Health, the study by David Tordrup and colleagues was commissioned to address these gaps.[9] The cost-effectiveness of the HEAR interventions was modelled under three scenarios from 2020 to 2030 based on national population cohorts from 172 countries.

Results

Conclusion