Report from World Hearing Day

On 03 Mar 2016, PanCareLIFE researcher Prof. Antoinette am Zehnhoff-Dinnesen participated in the World Hearing Day seminar on Childhood hearing loss: act now; here is how! at the WHO headquarters in
Geneva, Switzerland. The event was organized by Professor Alarcos Cieza, Coordinator Blindness and Deafness Prevention, Disability and Rehabilitation (BDD), WHO, and Professor Shelly Chadha, Technical Officer, Prevention of Deafness and Hearing Loss, Blindness and Deafness Prevention, Disability and Rehabilitation, WHO.

It was a great honour for me to make the acquaintance of many highly dedicated personalities from all over the world supporting the interests of deaf and hearing impaired people. In this year the World Hearing Day was dedicated to hearing loss in childhood. In the brilliant brochure “CHILDHOOD HEARING LOSS ACT NOW, HERE’S HOW!” (www.who.int/pbd/deafness/world-hearing-day/en) the WHO highlights the importance of prevention: main causes of hearing loss in childhood include “conditions at the time of birth, infections, diseases of the ear, noise and medicines” and WHO “estimates that around 60% of childhood hearing loss could be avoided through prevention measures”!

Also, Professor Chadha mentioned ototoxicity in her lecture on topics which should be concerned in the future. In addition to the seminar, I had the opportunity to participate in an informal session to discuss possible topics for the prevention of deafness and hearing loss and I stressed the importance of ototoxicity, especially by chemotherapy with Platinum compounds but also in preterm children by aminoglycosides and diuretics, and after application of antimalarial medicaments and HIV/AIDS therapy.

I had the opportunity  to hand PanCareLIFE brochures to Alarcos Cieza and Shelly Chadha. Professor Cieza and Professor Chadha who are doing excellent work for deaf and hearing impaired people were interested in the aims of the PanCareLIFE project and appreciated the support by the EU to investigate risk factors in drug metabolism and clinical confounders as basis for preventive measures.

I would be very grateful for further contacts concerning the topic ototoxicity.

Prof. Antoinette am Zehnhoff-Dinnesen

From left to right: Prof. Antoinette am Zehnhoff-Dinnesen, president of UEP and Secretary General of WVC Prof. Shelly Chadha, Technical Officer, Prevention of Deafness and Hearing Loss, Blindness and Deafness Prevention, Disability and Rehabilitation Prof. Katrin Neumann, WHO advisor of WVC Prof. Alarcos Cieza, Coordinator Blindness and Deafness Prevention, Disability and Rehabilitation (BDD), WHO