Rising cases of hearing loss linked to loud music in matatus

Are you one of the three million or so people living in areas such as Umoja, Eastliegh, Buruburu, Ongata Rongai or Kitengela? The list of Nairobi routes on which commuters ply daily between home and work is long.

For some commuters, the latest number plate does the trick of attracting them to a matatu. Others go for the screaming graffiti and they’d rather wait at the bus stage for hours than board an old, rickety, matatu.

But for the young generation, the funky outward look counts for nothing unless matched with booming music.

And because the customer is always willing to pay premium fare for the deafening sound and latest video, matatus are over the moon about their appeal.

For some time since the collapse of the Michuki rules vehicle owners have increasingly been using graffiti and loud music as a bait to attract young people.
The trend is creating employment opportunities for artists.

What they may not know is that every time a passenger responds to this craze, officials at the Ministry of Health cringe.

That loud morning or evening music is stripping an alarming number of young people of their ability to hear.

Last week, Health secretary Cleopa Mailu blamed loud music in matatus and recreational facilities like clubs for the rising cases of ear problems in the country.

Data from the Kenya National Survey of Deafness estimates that over 640,000 citizens suffer from hearing impairment or the “silent disability” as they call it.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that over 360 million people worldwide live with hearing loss.

Out of the total 318 million are adults while 32 million are children, 80 per cent of who are low and middle income earners.

“With the new matatu culture, perhaps the burden is even more than it was before and we need to review guidelines even as we increase the number of specialists,” said Dr Mailu.

He was speaking on Friday during the launch of the National Strategy for Ear and Hearing Care in Nairobi.

He said that the new guidelines focus national attention on a scarcely addressed problem and is a signal that ear and hearing care deserve much higher strategic priority.

Disabling hearing loss, which is preventable, refers to hearing loss greater than 40 decibels (dB) in adults and greater than 30dB in children.

WHO representative in Kenya Nathan Bakyaita said that creating awareness about the risks that continuous loud sound, both occupational and recreational, pose to hearing loss is essential.

Dr Bakyaita encouraged individuals to use personal protective devices such as earplugs, noise-cancelling earphones and headphones as protective measures while using noisy public transport.

“That thumping sound in the matatu could spell doom for your precious ears. Not to mention the noise levels in clubs or even churches,” said Dr Bakyaita. Most ear care drugs and hearing aids, which have not been included in the country’s Essential Medicine List, will soon be made available in public hospitals.

‘‘I urge all to support implementation of the new guidelines in order to provide accessible hearing care services to all Kenyans, said Health Principal Secretary, Nicholas Muraguri.

Hearing impairment or deafness, can also be caused by genetic factors, wrong use of medicine, lack of screening, avoidance of vaccinations, ageing among other conditions.

WHO says that childhood hearing impairment is the leading cause of delayed language development, academic underachievement, social isolation, and high risk injury.

Profound hearing loss in adults leads to disability and absenteeism from work, which affects productivity and the economy.

Most causes of hearing loss can be prevented by immunisation, maternal and newborn care, early recognition and management, and protection of ears from noise. The latter would not be possible if matatus keep playing loud music.

Dr Mailu said that measures would be put in place to ensure that matatus play music at reasonable volumes as a step towards curbing hearing loss among Kenyans.