On World Hearing Day 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) will draw attention to the importance of early identification and intervention for hearing loss. Many people live with unidentified hearing loss, often failing to realize that they are missing out on certain sounds and words. Checking one’s hearing would be the first step towards addressing the issue.

• All people should check their hearing from time to time, especially those who are at a higher risk of hearing loss such as adults above 50 years, those working in noisy places, those listening to music at high volumes for long periods of time and those experiencing ear problems.
• Services for early identification and intervention should be made available through the health system.

On 3 March 2019, WHO will launch a free app that allows people to check their hearing. The HearWHO app will be used to:

• Raise awareness about the importance of hearing
• Encourage people to check their hearing regularly and practice safe listening
• Allow health workers to check the hearing status of people in their communities