President of Hearing International Suchitra Prasansuk speaks at the 19th Hearing International Meeting opened in Ho Chi Minh City on September 24 (Photo: VNA)HCM City (VNA) – The 19th HearingInternational Meeting opened in Ho Chi Minh City on September 24, gatheringover 300 leading experts from the US, Thailand, Myanmar, India, among othercountries.
Speaking at the annual event, Suchitra Prasansuk, presidentof the non-governmental charity organisation Hearing International, cited WHOstatistics which show the number of people suffering deafness and hearing problemsincreased from about 250 million in 2010 to some 360 million in 2015.
Now one in every six persons in the world encounters thehealth problem, which is yet to receive proper attention, she added.
The official attributed the increasing number particularly tothe habit of wearing a headphone for a long period of time among young people.
Otitis media, which is a group of inflammatory diseases ofthe middle ear, is blamed as a popular cause of hearing problems in Vietnam.
At the meeting, Associate Professor Tran Phan Chung Thuy,deputy head of the Ear-Nose-Throat Hospital of Ho Chi Minh City, said thediseases could happen to babies of between three and 18 months old and prompttreatment is required to ease complications.
Thuy stressed that the diseases can be prevented viavaccination but not many Vietnamese parents are aware of it.
Participating experts also discussed other ear-nose-throatdiseases and got updated on the treatment of the balance disorder.-VNA
VNA
