Go for regular hearing evaluation, expert says

The Chief Executive Officer of the International Hearing Center Nigeria, Dr. Irene Okeke-Igbokwe, has urged Nigerians to have regular hearing checks to reduce the increasing number of hearing loss in the country.

Okeke-Igbokwe said this while addressing participants at a screening organised by the centre to mark the 2021 World Hearing Day.

She said, “Although there are no widely acceptable studies or data on the number of people with hearing loss in Nigeria, the World Health Organisation estimation is that 1.5 billion people in the world live with some degree of hearing loss, out of which around over five per cent of the world’s population or 430 million people require rehabilitation to address their ‘disabling’ hearing loss.

“Nearly 80 per cent of people with disabling hearing loss live in low and middle-income countries. Nigeria with the largest population in Africa falls into the category of low and middle-income countries.

“IHC as a hearing health care provider is supporting World Hearing Day 2021 by providing free hearing screening, free hearing aid checks all through March 2021. IHC is also providing counselling on hearing health care and advocacy through seminars in all of its centers.”

World Hearing Day is held on March 3 annually to raise the awareness on how to prevent deafness and hearing loss as well as to promote ear and hearing care across the world.