WORLD HEARING DAY MARCH 3RD 2019
World Hearing Day would not be the success it is without your participation and commitment. We are very grateful for your collaboration to raise awareness on ear and hearing care, consequences of unaddressed hearing loss, the importance of early identification of and timely interventions to address hearing loss.
This theme will focus on the: the importance of early identification of and intervention for hearing loss. Many people live with unidentified hearing loss, often failing to realize that they are missing out on certain sounds and words. Checking one’s hearing would be the first step towards addressing the issue.
Key messages include:
- Hearing check is easy, quick and accessible.
- All people should check their hearing from time to time, especially those who are at a higher risk of hearing loss (e.g. those listening to music, working in noisy places, experiencing ear problems, adults above 50 years)
- Services for early identification and intervention must be available through the health system.
WHO will launch a free app for hearing check. The app will be used as a:
- Tool to raise awareness about importance of hearing.
- It will encourage young people to check their hearing regularly (through the app) and practice safe listening.
- It will be used by health workers to check the hearing status of people in their communities, especially older adults.
The announcements represent the key graphics around which the 2019 World Hearing Day campaign will be based. It will soon be available in the six UN official languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Spanish and Russian) and in edit-able formats upon request. The purpose of doing so is to make it easy for partners to adapt these visuals to suit their own campaigns and messages. If you would like to receive the edit-able formats of these announcements, kindly write to us directly and we will make them available to you in 7-10 days’ time along with instructions for use.
More information on the campaign will be available on the WHO webpage www.who.int/world-hearing-day. Information materials including a brochure on the theme, posters, banners, infographic, ppt. etc. will be made available on this webpage in early February.
All partners and countries are invited to join this initiative by organizing events. A toolkit planning template for the World Hearing Day will also be available. You are welcome to share your plans for this event.
We hope that the World Hearing Day 2019 will be a massive call to action. We challenge all sectors to demonstrate their leadership by making this year’s event, the largest one the country has ever seen.
Regards,
Karen
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Karen Reyes
Prevention of Deafness and Hearing Loss
World Health Organization
Geneva, Switzerland
#safelistening #worldhearingday #hearingcare
