Health workers mark World Hearing Day with call for early screening of children in Kisii
Health workers in Kisii County marked World Hearing Day Monday with a strong appeal to parents and teachers to prioritize early hearing screening for children, warning that undetected hearing loss is affecting academic performance and social development in schools.
The event, held at Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital, brought together ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists and other healthcare professionals who emphasized the importance of early detection and intervention.
World Hearing Day is set aside annually by the World Health Organization to raise awareness about hearing loss and promote ear and hearing care globally.
This year’s theme, “From Classroom to Community: Hearing Care for All Children,” focuses on reaching children in schools and communities to ensure no child is left behind due to preventable or treatable hearing conditions.
Speaking during the event, ENT surgeon Dr. Sarah Mutuku and Geofret Otom said many children in schools struggle with hearing problems that often go unnoticed.
“Most children in schools have problems with hearing. It is our responsibility to conduct screening so that we can identify them early and help them,” Otomu said.
Dr. Mutuku , on her part, explained that hearing loss in children can be congenital — present at birth — or acquired later in life. Causes include infections, trauma from accidents, and other medical conditions.
She urged parents and teachers to seek medical assessment if they notice signs such as poor academic performance, frequent requests for repetition, or inattentiveness in class.
Her colleague, Dr. Bruce Okari, noted that hearing loss significantly affects a child’s speech development, social interaction, growth and future career prospects.
“When you find a child constantly increasing the volume of the television, struggling to follow conversations, or moving from the back of the classroom to the front because they cannot hear the teacher, that child should be brought for assessment,” he said.
Dr. Okari also highlighted common warning signs such as persistent nasal discharge, frequent ear tugging, allergies causing constant itching of the nose and eyes, and recurrent ear infections.
He identified otitis media with effusion — a condition involving fluid buildup in the middle ear — as one of the most common causes of hearing loss in the community.
If left untreated, he warned, the condition can progress to eardrum perforation and more severe complications affecting the inner ear.
The specialists revealed that between 60 and 70 percent of patients seen in ENT and audiology clinics present with hearing-related issues, underscoring the scale of the problem locally.
As part of the World Hearing Day activities, the hospital assembled and sensitized a team of health workers to improve identification and referral of patients with hearing concerns.
The doctors also called for the implementation of routine newborn hearing screening, beginning with babies admitted to the Newborn Unit (NBU), and eventually expanding to all newborns as resources allow.
“We have the facilities here in Kisii to assess and manage hearing problems,” Dr. Okari said. “But we need parents, teachers and the wider community to work with us.
Early screening can prevent long-term complications and give children a fair chance to succeed.”
Health officials expressed optimism that increased awareness and community involvement would lead to earlier diagnosis and better outcomes for children with hearing challenges across the county.