Professor Titus Ibekwe, an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeon, has urged the federal government to institute hearing screening for all newborn babies in Nigeria to ensure early detection of any hearing defects and the commencement of rehabilitation before discharging from the hospital.
Professor Ibekwe, who made this call at the 44th inaugural lecture of the University of Abuja, entitled “Sound, Wind and Whisper: A Journey in Search for Harmony in Otorhinolaryngology,” said this should be matched with quality antenatal care, delivery, and postnatal care to ensure quality life from conception, birth, and life through death for Nigerians.
He declared that the Ear and Hearing Care (EHC) policy must be enforced by the government at all levels and private organizations to combat the huge disease burden associated with hearing loss.
Ibekwe, also the Chairman-elect (2024) of the International Advisory Board of the American Academy of Otorhinolaryngology, stated that enforcement of this policy should start by making the environment safe against noise pollution.
“Noise is a nuisance that impacts negatively on the physical, social, and psychological wellbeing of man. It aggravates chronic illnesses like hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. Industrialization and technological predicates have increased noise pollution in most fast-growing cities, hence the need for monitoring and regulation of environmental noise.
“In a project that mapped the noise levels across Abuja Municipal Council, daytime environmental equivalent noise levels failed the WHO standard in businesses, parks, residential areas, and market places. The noise levels at night were 18–56 decibels, within acceptable limits across the categorised areas.
Our result was extrapolated to other high-cosmopolitan areas like Lagis, Kano, Onitsha, and Port Harcourt.”
According to him, “the enforcement of EHC policy will provide for hearing assistive devices, especially hearing aids, freely or supported by health insurance for every hearing-impaired child or adult.”
Professor Ibekwe also warned against the use of an earpiece and cleaning the ear with a cotton bud as dangerous for hearing.
He urged people with hoarseness that persists beyond 2 weeks to be investigated by an ENT surgeon to rule out the early occurrence of cancer of the voice box.
Experts Urges For Infant Screening To Ensure Health Quality
