Key Points

Over 1.5 billion people worldwide are affected by some degree of hearing loss. While it is often linked to ageing, a lesser known but significant cause is infections contracted during childhood and adolescence, many of which are preventable.

According to the World Health Organization, nearly 60 per cent of childhood hearing loss could be prevented through public health measures such as vaccination against rubella and certain forms of meningitis.

To probe further, a team of researchers, including from Université de Montréal in Canada conducted an in-depth review of the scientific literature.

The study, published in the journal Communications Medicine, identified 26 infectious agents that can potentially cause hearing loss, including the virus responsible for common diseases such as measles as well as rubella, which is especially dangerous if contracted during pregnancy because it can harm the developing auditory system and cause congenital deafness.

The list also includes the virus that causes mumps, which can lead to sensorineural hearing loss by damaging the inner ear or auditory nerve, and the bacteria Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Neisseria meningitidis, which cause meningitis and result in permanent hearing damage.

"If a vaccine is shown to save lives, it's reasonable for policy decisions to be made on that basis," said Mira Johri, a professor in the Department of Health Management, Evaluation and Policy at the varsity's School of Public Health (EPSUM).

"But vaccines can also offer significant benefits in preventing other harms, such as hearing loss, and these benefits deserve greater attention."

The study recommends including the effect of hearing loss in vaccine evaluations, both during development and for products already on the market. This factor could also help inform research priorities for new vaccine formulations.

- IANS