World Hearing Day, 3 March

The following message has been received from Shelly Chadha, Technical lead, Ear and hearing care at World Health Organization

 

The World Hearing Day 2021 on 3 March, marks the launch of the World report on hearing.

Requested by WHO Member States, this report gives a very clear message: Hearing across the life course is possible! This requires coordinated public health strategies to prevent and address hearing loss at all stages of life. A very important aspect of prevention relates to the reduction of exposure to loud sounds at workplace and in the environment at large.

In addition, it also relates to the promotion of safe listening practices among youth who are especially at risk of hearing loss due to the common practice of listening to music at loud volumes for prolonged periods. Towards this end, the WHO has launched the Make Listening Safe initiative which is making a headway in raising awareness among young people about the need for, and importance of safe listening.

It is for this reason that we are especially pleased to be launching this landmark report during the International Year of Sound. We have a common goal: to highlight the importance of sound and listening in our lives, to promote understanding on noise control in our environment, and to ensure the continued enjoyment of sound experiences through good hearing, across the life course.

On behalf of the WHO, I thank the International Commission for Acoustics and all our partners who have joined hands in this effort.

For more information and a copy of the report see the World report on hearing.