From left: Newborn hearing screener Khanyisa Flente-Khovana; Early intervention therapist at Carel du toit Centre Sue Rumble; Bunono Qutwa and his mom Hluma; Audiologist at Tygerberg Hospital Nabeelah Jardine and Audiologist at Carel du toit Centre Sarah Lange.
Image: Supplied.
A call has been made for people to look after their hearing by observing safety practices.
The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness used World Hearing Day, which was on Monday March 3, to promote safe practices for healthy listening and hearing, which it said included protecting one’s hearing from loud sounds, having regular hearing checks and using hearing devices if needed.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2030, over 500 million people worldwide are expected to have disabling hearing loss.
More than one billion young people face the risk of permanent hearing damage due to prolonged exposure to loud sounds during recreational activities such as gaming and listening to music, WHO said.
Jenny Birkenstock, assistant director of the Department of Speech Therapy and Audiology at Tygerberg Hospital (TBH), said: ”For individuals living with hearing loss, early identification and access to timely rehabilitation are essential for good outcomes.”
Eighteen-month-old Bunono Qutwa from Khayelitsha was born three months prematurely and was admitted to the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). While in hospital, he failed his newborn hearing screening test.
“Bunono was the fortunate recipient of a Netcare-donated cochlear implant. His implant was done by Professor James Loock at Netcare N1 City on Wednesday December 4, 2024.
“His cochlear implant sound processor was donated by Mrs Maggie Farnham, an adult cochlear implant user from the Tygerberg Hospital/Stellenbosch University Cochlear Implant Programme. He was activated on Wednesday January 1, 2025 with a clear response to the new electrical sound,” said Laticia Pienaar, the hospital’s spokesperson.
Bunono’s early intervention therapist, Ms Sue Rumble said: “At one-month post activation of his cochlear implant, Bunono is responding to his name and attempting to imitate speech sounds. He indicates when his speech processor has fallen off and requests that it is put back on pronto.”
Research evidence indicates that an infant with hearing impairment who receives early intervention within the first six months of life can learn to communicate verbally and is likely to have speech, language and cognitive development comparable to normal hearing peers.
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