Cameroon: Ear and nose experts use warn against excessive use of cotton buds 
In Cameroon, 60% of hearing problems are hereditary, 31% are caused by infections contracted during pregnancy, and 18% are caused by poor ear treatments during childhood, ENT experts have said.
Hearing loss is a deficiency that affects mostly children between 6-15years and adults that have been exposed to loud noise for years. The WHO in its 2021 report stated over 300 million people in the world suffer from hearing loss with 32 million of them being children below 18.
Though hearing loss could retard the advancement of persons affected, medical experts affirm if diagnosed early, victims of hearing problems could be treated. “many times, parents come with children to complain after they’ve forced themselves into ORL Doctors (ear, nose and throat specialists) and caused much damage to the ear. If a hearing issue is detected early enough, the problem could be fixed through various medical options” Dr Andjock Christian ORL at the Yaoundé general hospital, said.
The ten-day medical campaign that will run from December 7-16 2022 at the Yaoundé general hospital and Douala gynaeco-obstetric and the pediatric hospital will be geared towards intense screening and repair through auditive prosthesis “auditive prostheses are electronic audio devices designed by specialists for persons with an intensive hearing deficiency which ameliorate their listening capacity” Dr. Andjock Christian added.
While stressing the need to follow all medical prescriptions during pregnancy, medics warn against the excessive use of cotton buds in ears as the oil or solid materials produced naturally from the ear are just to prevent bacteria from entering the ear “the ear wax we often see is not bright, yes, but it is not dirt. If you insist on cleaning it, stay on the outside of the ear. Do not go inside. This destroys the ear” Dr. Andjock Christian stressed. He further adds that persons exposed to loud noise be given adequate tools to cover their ears and loud music in earphones could damage the ear drum in a long run.
