Quarter of world population to have hearing loss by 2050

Muscat: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has predicted that approximately 2.5 billion people, or nearly a quarter of the world's population, will have some degree of hearing loss by 2050.

The organisation said in its first global report on hearing, released today before World Hearing Day that falls on March 3, that at least 700 million of these people will need access to ear and hearing care and other rehabilitation services unless action is taken to demonstrate efforts to prevent and respond to hearing loss.

The WHO estimates that 1.1 billion young people (ages 12 to 35) are at risk of hearing loss due to exposure to noise in entertainment venues. "The important point is that we know how to prevent this, or at least a lot of it, " Shelly Chadha, an expert at the WHO said.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO, explained: "Untreated hearing loss can have a devastating effect on a person's ability to communicate, study and earn a living."