WHO highlights the importance of addressing childhood hearing loss

世卫组织强调解决儿童听力损失的重要性

On World Hearing Day, under the theme From communities to classrooms: hearing care for all children, WHO is urging governments, civil society, and partners across the health and education sectors to take urgent action to protect children’s hearing. Key actions include:

在世界听力日这一天，以“从社区到课堂:为所有儿童提供听力护理”为主题，世卫组织呼吁各国政府、民间社会以及卫生和教育领域的合作伙伴采取紧急行动，保护儿童的听力。主要行动包括:

promoting good ear and hearing practices as part of school health programmes to prevent hearing loss;

将良好的耳部和听力保健措施纳入学校健康计划之中，以预防听力损失；

integrating ear and hearing screening into school and community health programmes, with clear referral pathways; and

将耳部和听力筛查纳入学校及社区健康计划中，并建立明确的转诊流程；并且

empowering teachers, parents, health workers, and children with accurate information and practical tools.

向教师、家长、卫生工作者以及儿童提供准确的信息和实用的工具，从而增强他们的能力。

Addressing hearing loss through evidence-based interventions

通过基于证据的干预措施来解决听力损失问题

WHO provides countries with technical resources to support ear and hearing care, including:

世卫组织为各国提供技术资源，以支持耳部和听力方面的扩理工作，具体包括:

Hearing screening: considerations for implementation;

听力筛查：实施时的注意事项；

Vision and hearing screening for school-age children: implementation handbook; and

学龄儿童视力和听力筛查：实施手册；并且

Hearing aid service delivery approaches for low- and middle-income settings.

低收入和中等收入地区助听器服务提供方式。

WHO has also developed training resources to equip health workers with the skills to identify and manage common ear and hearing problems and refer patients to higher levels of care, when needed. Integrating these tools into national health care systems can significantly narrow the gap in hearing care access.

世卫组织还开发了相关培训资源，旨在帮助卫生工作者掌握识别和处理常见耳部及听力问题的技能，并在必要时引导患者转至更高层级的医疗机构接受治疗。将这些工具融入国家医疗体系能够显著缩小听力护理服务的获取差距。

And coming soon, a comprehensive package of evidence-based interventions, designed for use across primary health care and WHOears, a free mobile application for iOS and Android platforms to support the implementation of hearing screening programmes in schools and in communities. By enabling trained individuals to conduct hearing screening for children in schools and community settings, the app will expand access beyond traditional clinic settings and strengthen early identification efforts.

不久之后，我们将推出一套基于证据的综合干预措施，这些措施适用于初级卫生保健和世卫组织的各个层面。此外，还将推出一款免费的移动应用程序(适用于i0S和Android平台)，用于支持在学校和社区中实施听力筛查计划。通过让受过培训的人员能够在学校和社区环境中为儿童进行听力筛查，该应用程序将扩大服务范围，超越传统的诊所环境，并加强早期识别工作。

“WHO estimates that nearly 60% of ear and hearing problems could be prevented or treated at local health clinics with trained health workers and availability of required equipment, medicines, and hearing devices,” said Ms Dévora Kestel, Director a.i., WHO Department of noncommunicable diseases and mental health. “Yet today, over 80% of the people who need ear and hearing care do not receive it. This gap has serious consequences for children affecting their education, psychological wellbeing, and future livelihoods.”

世卫组织非传染性疾病和精神健康部门代理主任德沃拉·凯斯泰尔女士表示:“世卫组织估计，近60%的耳部和听力问题可以通过在当地的卫生诊所由受过培训的医务人员进行治疗或预防解决，只要具备所需的设备、药物和听力辅助器具即可。”“然而，目前仍有超过80%的需要耳部和听力护理的人未能得到相应的服务。这一差距对儿童产生了严重的影响，影响了他们的教育、心理健康以及未来的生活质量。”

Impact of untreated hearing loss

未经治疗的听力损失的影响

Untreated hearing loss affects more than just a child’s ability to hear. It can delay speech and language development, hinder cognitive growth, and limit social interaction. These challenges often lead to poorer educational outcomes, reduced employment prospects, and long-term economic disadvantage.

未得到治疗的听力损失不仅会影响孩子的听力能力，还会导致语言和言语发展迟缓、认知能力受限以及社交互动受阻。这些问题往往会导致教育成果不佳、就业机会减少以及长期的经济劣势。

Prevention of avoidable hearing loss, early identification and timely intervention are critical to improving outcomes for children with hearing loss. Strengthening primary health care systems to include ear and hearing services ensures that children receive the care they need, when they need it.

预防可避免的听力损失、早期识别以及及时干预对于改善听力障碍儿童的治疗效果至关重要。加强初级卫生保健系统，使其包含耳部和听力服务，能够确保儿童在需要时获得所需的治疗。

For children already living with hearing problems, timely access to cost-effective, evidence-based interventions—including medicines, surgery, hearing aids, cochlear implants, rehabilitative therapy, sign language, and other assistive technologies like loop systems and captioning—can prevent long-term consequences and enable full participation in school and community life.

对于已经存在听力问题的儿童而言，及时获得经济实惠且基于科学依据的干预措施至关重要--包括药物治疗、手术、助听器、人工耳蜗植入、康复治疗、手语教学以及其他辅助技术，如环绕系统和字幕等，这些措施能够预防长期的不良后果，并使他们能够充分参与学校和社区生活。

“Communities and school settings provide a natural and effective platform to reach children with both preventive measures and early care,” said Dr Shelly Chadha, WHO Team lead for eye, ear, and oral health. “With practical and affordable solutions now available, no child should be left behind due to unaddressed ear and hearing problems.”

世卫组织眼耳口腔健康小组负责人谢莉·查达博士表示:“社区和学校环境为向儿童提供预防措施和早期护理提供了天然且有效的平台。如今已有了切实可行且经济实惠的解决方案，因此不应有任何儿童因未解决的耳部和听力问题而被忽视。