GUEST SECTION EDITORS
Prof Mahmood F Bhutta,
DPhil FRCS (ORL-HNS),
Consultant and Honorary Professor in ENT Surgery,
University Hospitals Sussex and Brighton & Sussex Medical School, UK.
Prof Jackie L Clark,
MS, PhD, Clinical Professor,
Behavioral & Brain Sciences, AuD Program,
University of Texas at Dallas, USA;
Managing Editor, International Journal of Audiology;
Co-Founder/Co-Director, Coalition for Global Hearing Health;
Research Scholar, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.
A report delayed, but just as important
Two of the most memorable phrases of 2020 and 2021 will be: ‘You’re on mute!’ and ‘Due to COVID...’ One phrase may bring a smile and the other may bring sadness. However, as we have learned, the many enforced pauses of activity ‘due to COVID’ have, on occasion, resulted in positive serendipity.
So, have we also found with this, the focus on Global Ear and Hearing, paused due to the nearly one-year delay in release of the World Report on Hearing, the inaugural publication on this topic from the World Health Organization. The report was published on World Hearing Day, 3 March 2021 and is an important landmark in getting hearing onto the global and public health agenda. The delay brought opportunities of adding a few more articles for May/Jun 2021 that otherwise would not have been possible, and which detail recent and important advances in the field.
We are pleased to share with you a breadth of articles aimed at ear and hearing care professionals. The invited articles create a bridge between public health, otolaryngology, audiology, community, and rights-based interventions. They demonstrate how big and important a challenge hearing loss is and will continue to be, showcase how innovations utilising technology and task shifting in provision of services can help, and how what once were believed to be insurmountable barriers in service provision for those residing in low- and middle-income regions/countries are starting to be overcome.
We are confident that you will enjoy each of the articles and find them educational. Perhaps they may inspire some of you to get involved in this important agenda.
