WHO Press Release: From communities to classrooms: hearing care for all children (2)
Further to the press release shared just now
https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-hearing-day/2026
WHO campaign materials include a poster with guidance for teachers:
https://who.canto.global/v/Worldhearingday2026/album/UN4SD ; also a poster for children, parents and teachers:
https://who.canto.global/v/Worldhearingday2026/album/UN4SD ; and a poster for parents and teachers with guidance on how to detect hearing loss:
https://who.canto.global/v/Worldhearingday2026/album/UN4SD
The poster for parents and teachers with guidance on how to detect hearing
loss gives four points that may seem obvious to us, but the reality is that
hearing loss often goes undetected for a considerable time. The poster says:
"If a child:
* frequently asks you to repeat
* struggles with attention or school performance
* complains of ear pain or ear dscharge
* shows delayed speech and language development
This could inicate an ear or hearing problem. Act early. Refer or take the child for a hearing check without delay."
A paper in the Journal of Patient Experience notes:
'AOM (acute otitis media) has considerable negative outcomes for both children and families and parents would benefit from having more evidence-based resources... Identifying parents' information needs and developing innovative and communicatively responsive educational approaches
for parents are warranted.'
J Patient Exp. 2018 Apr 24;6(1):53-61. doi: 10.1177/2374373518771362
Understanding Parents' Experiences and Information Needs on Pediatric Acute Otitis Media: A Qualitative Study
Salima Meherali et al.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6572929/
I look forward to learn from your experience with children with hearing loss.
Many thanks, Neil
CHIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neilAThifa.org <mailto:neil@hifa.org>