206 why children lose their hearing and what we can do
Medicines that damage hearing
Some medicines can damage the hearing of children who
take them. Several medicines can cause hearing loss in
unborn babies when the medicine is taken by the pregnant
mother. The risks with these medicines are increased if the
child or the mother also has kidney disease. Some common
medicines that damage hearing are:
• Some aminoglycoside antibiotics can cause deafness in children
(such as amikacin, garamycin, gentamicin, kanamycin, neomycin,
netilmicin, streptomycin, or tobramycin). This can happen when the
child himself is given the antibiotic, or when his mother was given
the medicine during pregnancy. These antibiotics usually have to be
injected. They should be used only for serious infections that could
cause death.
• Children under 12 should not take aspirin. For pain and fever
children can take paracetamol (acetominophen). Aspirin can
damage the hearing when taken at higher than normal doses. It
can also cause temporary deafness and buzzing in the ear (tinnitus)
but these usually stop soon after stopping the aspirin.
• Quinine and chloroquine (which are used to treat malaria) can both
sometimes damage hearing in the person taking them.
• If a mother uses thalidomide in pregnancy (to treat cancer, leprosy,
or conditions associated with HIV/AIDS), it can cause many severe
defects in a baby, including hearing problems.
Traditional ear medicines
Traditional medicines and treatments are sometimes used to treat
ear problems. Some traditional treatments can be harmful.
Here are some general things to remember about
traditional cures for health problems:
• Never use human or animal excrement as a
cure. It can give the person an infection.
• The more the cure looks like or resembles the sickness, the more
likely its effect comes only from people’s belief in it.
• Ears are very fragile. Do not put anything very hot in or near
the ear. It can also be dangerous to pour liquids or put things in
the ear.
Helping Children Who Are Deaf (2004)