Afya Watch
  • Home
  • Categories
    • Cancer
    • Life
    • Featured
    • Health
    • Lifestyle
    • Mental Health
    • News
    • Public Health
    • Guest Blog
  • Editor’s Pick
  • Video
  • HOME
  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • LIFESTYLE
Afya Watch Afya Watch
Afya Watch Afya Watch
  • Home
  • Categories
    • Cancer
    • Life
    • Featured
    • Health
    • Lifestyle
    • Mental Health
    • News
    • Public Health
    • Guest Blog
  • Editor’s Pick
  • Video

Hearing Loss And What To Do If Your Child Has It

Signs of hearing loss
Signs of hearing loss…image Courtesy https://www.hearingaid.org.uk/blog/
Signs of hearing loss…image Courtesy https://www.hearingaid.org.uk/blog/

Let’s talk about ‘Sign languages rights for all”. After all, this is the theme for this years the international day for the deaf. This is what to do if your child has hearing loss

When a mother finally holds her bundle of joy in her hands, her prayer is always that the child is healthy. It is what Joy Mimo, a mother of an 8-year-old boy expected when that day came to finally hold and nourish her own child.

But she began to notice something was a miss.

“When I gave birth to Steve, I didn’t know he was deaf until 3 months when I realized that he wasn’t able to hear the sounds around him including my own voice”, narrates Mimo.

“Out of ignorance I didn’t take him immediately to the hospital because I thought maybe since he was still an infant, it was just a growing stage,” continues Mimo.

“But at 4 months, I realized how serious it was because he couldn’t respond to loud noise. Not even the noisy toys. That is when I took him to ear, nose and throat (ENT) department at Moi teaching and referral hospital. That is when the doctor pronounced that my baby was deaf”, narrates Mimo.

According to Dr.Musa Oyugi, an Otolaryngologist in Moi teaching and referral hospital, there are so many things that may lead to deafness and hearing loss in children.

“Factors that may lead to hearing loss whether congenital or acquired include Infections like measles; mumps or whooping cough can lead to hearing loss if not treated well”, says Dr.Musa

Other things include serious head injury, noisy environment, drugs and substance abuse during pregnancy, birth complications, and infection during pregnancy among others,” explains Dr.Musa.

How do you know that a child has a hearing loss?

“Children should startle at loud sounds, they should respond and sometimes smile to your voice, should notice toys that make noise and sometimes repeat to simple sounds”, Explains Dr.Musa

“If a child does not respond to these sounds from 4 months old, then there is a need to seek medical attention,” adds Dr.Musa.

“In older children, signs can be like not responding when called, has difficulty in understanding what people say, complains of ear pains or noises, watches the speaker intently to just read the lips among others”, explains Dr.Musa.

Depending on the causes, there are ways we can help these children live a normal life with others. Dr.Musa explains.

“Children can be given hearing aids. These are devices that can help children, clearly hear again. We also have cochlear implants, which are surgically implanted devices placed in the inner ear”, explains Dr.Musa.

“We can also enrol children whose hearing loss has affected their speech to speech therapy, for better communication. Let us also reduce factors that may contribute to hearing losses”, adds Dr.Musa.

“Let us also learn sign language for easier and better communication, just like this year’s theme suggests, ‘Sign languages rights for all’, concludes Dr.Musa.

Share
Share
Tweet
Share
Share
Related Topics
  • Hearing loss
Mercie Tyra Murengu

Previous Article

How Healthy Are Mushrooms?

Read Post
Next Article

Cervical Cancer Vaccination In Kenya

Read Post
You May Also Like
Image of antibiotics
Read Post
  • Health
  • Public Health

Vaccines and Smart Prescribing: Strategy to Tackle Antibiotic Overuse in Children

  • February 8, 2025
Asili Jattani, a Community Health Promoter based In Korbesa, Cherab Ward, Merti Sub-County, Isiolo County. She has to cover long distances to serve the 41 households in her assignment area. The Community Health Workers Bill passed in Parliament on November 22, 2024 will significantly improve the welfare of CHPs across the country once it goes through the Senate and receives presidential assent to become a law. Photo by Lameck Ododo.
Read Post
  • Health
  • Public Health

Landmark Bill Passed to Empower Community Health Workers

  • December 15, 2024
Snuff.
Read Post
  • Cancer
  • Health
  • Public Health

Kenya’s Smokeless Tobacco Crisis

  • December 12, 2024
Read Post
  • Health
  • Public Health

The Hidden Crisis in Kenya’s Healthcare Reform

  • November 15, 2024
Image courtesy of the World Health Organization
Read Post
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Uncategorized

Protecting Kenya’s Youth from Novel Tobacco Products

  • March 23, 2024
Read Post
  • Health
  • Public Health

Infertility in Men

  • April 26, 2022
Read Post
  • Health

Should adolescents get access to contraceptives?

  • April 8, 2022
Read Post
  • Health

Community Health Volunteers and a Mobile App Deliver The Health in Isiolo

  • March 31, 2022

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts
  • Image of antibiotics 1
    Vaccines and Smart Prescribing: Strategy to Tackle Antibiotic Overuse in Children
  • Asili Jattani, a Community Health Promoter based In Korbesa, Cherab Ward, Merti Sub-County, Isiolo County. She has to cover long distances to serve the 41 households in her assignment area. The Community Health Workers Bill passed in Parliament on November 22, 2024 will significantly improve the welfare of CHPs across the country once it goes through the Senate and receives presidential assent to become a law. Photo by Lameck Ododo. 2
    Landmark Bill Passed to Empower Community Health Workers
  • Snuff. 3
    Kenya’s Smokeless Tobacco Crisis
  • 4
    The Hidden Crisis in Kenya’s Healthcare Reform
  • 5
    The Hidden Health Risks of Meat Consumption: A Look at Kenya’s Nyama Choma Culture
Editors Picks
  • 1
    In Finland Even the President Goes To a Public Hospital
  • 2
    5 Reasons You Wake Up Feeling Tired Even with Enough Sleep
  • 3
    Is Sitting the New Smoking?
  • 4
    Food and the Expanding Waistline, Hallo Christmas
  • 5
    ‘It’s the Lifestyle We Have to Change’ The Prescription to Non Communicable Diseases

Subscribe

Subscribe to stay updated

Afya Watch
Engaged! Inspired! Healthy!

Input your search keywords and press Enter.