Today, HHTM posts what is believed to be the final article of Dr. Jerry Northern, co-authored with Barry Freeman. We honor Dr. Northern as a collaborative pioneer in pediatric audiology and list the influential textbooks he co-authored or co-edited. Hearing in Children (1974; 6th edition, 2014) Co-authored with Marion P....
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✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
Audiologists seeing pediatric patients should be prepared to discuss the link between vaccine-preventable illnesses and hearing loss, and consider incorporating brief vaccination history screening into their intake process.
Declining childhood vaccination rates globally raise the real prospect of increased cases of vaccine-preventable hearing loss, positioning audiologists as a key allied health voice in public health advocacy.
- 01Vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, mumps, and bacterial meningitis are established causes of permanent childhood hearing loss.
- 02Declining vaccination rates in some regions are increasing the risk of resurgent hearing loss from these diseases.
- 03The article calls on audiologists to take an active role in patient and public education about vaccine-related hearing loss prevention.
- 04Co-authored as a tribute to Dr. Jerry Northern, a pioneering figure in pediatric audiology.
- 05No new clinical data are presented; the piece is opinion and advocacy-oriented.
Vaccine-preventable diseases are a significant and potentially resurgent cause of hearing loss in children.
opinionsupportedAudiologists have a professional responsibility to address vaccine-preventable hearing loss with patients.
opinionpartially supportedVaccination rates are declining, increasing the risk of resurgent vaccine-preventable hearing loss.
opinionpartially supported