Hearing Lossin Resource-limited Settings: The Silent Overlooked Epidemic in Sub-Saharan African Children

Abstract

Hearing Impairment is the most common disability reported worldwide and its consequences profoundly affect quality of life while impacting heavily on the economy. Despite this acknowledgement, priorities for healthcare in developing countries fall heavily on conditions such as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV, thus shifting attention away from other diseases and disabilities. The objective of this review was to outline key priority areas that should inform drafting policies for hearing impairment in developing countries. We undertook a literature search on PubMed, Google scholar, HINARI and Web of Science for publications discussing hearing loss in low- and middle-income countries. Search terms included “hearing loss”, “primary ear hearing care”, “hearing loss policies”, “hearing loss prevention”, “hearing loss causes” and “hearing loss detection”. We did not limit the publication period. However, we excluded all publications whose content did not contribute to the objective of our work. Our findings are discussed and recommendations given