Failure to address hearing loss in Africa is impacting both people’s lives and economies in Africa, costing $27.1 billion annually, revealed a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Status report on ear and hearing care in the WHO African Region was launched on October 7, 2024 during the Africa Summit on Hearing Impairment in Nairobi, Kenya. Unless urgent action is taken, hearing loss in Africa could affect 54 million people by 2030 and reach 97 million by 2050, it warned. Currently, 40 million Africans are living with hearing loss.
Hearing loss can occur at any stage of life and the report noted severe consequences for individuals if left untreated. Children with hearing impairments often face developmental delays, particularly in language skills, which can affect school performance and, later in life, reduce career opportunities. Adults with hearing loss are more prone to social isolation, depression and dementia.
The report outlined the key factors driving the rise in hearing loss across the 47 countries in WHO’s African Region. One of the main challenges is the critical shortage of ear and hearing care (EHC) specialists, with the available workforce concentrated in urban areas.
Africa has the lowest availability of healthcare professionals compared to other regions, which is reflected in ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists, audiologists and speech and language therapists. In 56 per cent of African countries, there is only one ENT surgeon per million people, while in Europe, up to 67 per cent of countries have more than 50 ENT surgeons per million people.
Although interventions exist to prevent, detect and manage hearing loss and related ear diseases, access remains limited for most people in the region.
The WHO used the ear and hearing care situation analysis tool as the foundation for an online survey, to better understand the healthcare challenges and opportunities in the region. Responses from 43 countries revealed that most do not routinely conduct newborn hearing screening, preventing the collection of comprehensive data on congenital or early-onset childhood hearing loss.
However, estimates from 13 countries show an average incidence of 5.27 cases per 1,000 live births.
Of the 43 countries surveyed, only 11 had a national or subnational strategy for ear and hearing care. Only seven countries in the region had a school hearing screening programme and just two offered government-led hearing assessments for older people. These programmes, as well as the provision of hearing devices, were largely concentrated in Eastern Africa.
The shortage of EHC professionals remains a critical issue, with only 11,836 personnel across the region, 19 per cent of whom are ENT surgeons. Despite an estimated 33 million Africans requiring hearing aids, just 10 per cent have access to them, largely due to high costs and limited funding for EHC services.
The report highlighted that 65 per cent of countries in the WHO African Region lack a dedicated budget for EHC activities. While approximately half of the countries in Eastern and Southern Africa have a budget allocation for EHC, more than 75 per cent of countries in Central and Western Africa do not.
The WHO report underscored the urgent need for dedicated financing to improve ear and hearing care across Africa. This includes equipping healthcare facilities, ensuring the availability of essential products and technologies, supporting research and development and strengthening the EHC workforce.
Without significant investment, the cost of inaction will continue to grow, with severe implications for both individuals and national economies.