Queensland health authorities have launched a new 10-year plan to try and tackle middle ear disease which plagues Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Australia and is linked to a raft of social problems.
As part of the plan, over the next year 500 health workers in Queensland will be up-skilled to better identify middle ear disease.
The State Government has also set the ambitious goal of helping at least 5,000 children in the next 12 months.
Middle ear disease is one of the top 20 diseases plaguing Indigenous communities.
In contrast, it is ranked at number 81 in the list of diseases contributing the biggest burden to non-Indigenous Australians.
Queensland Health Minister Cameron Dick today launched the State Government’s new Deadly Kids, Deadly Future framework.
“This is a 10-year program with 36 initiatives that hopes to eliminate middle ear problems in Indigenous children in Queensland,” he said.
“It’s focused around training more people to identify problems, so that’s training healthcare workers and educators.
“Our focus now is on early childhood education and care workers, so teachers in kindies so they can identify issues early and link into the health system.”
‘Maggots in the ears’
Tackling the problem is a passion of Australia’s first Aboriginal surgeon, Dr Kelvin Kong, whose speciality is ear, nose and throat.
Dr Kong recently saw an extreme example of what can happen if middle ear disease was left untreated when he treated a 49-year-old Indigenous man who was just out of prison and came to him suffering ringing in his ears.
“When I met this guy and you look in the ears there was a disease called aura myaisis, which is maggots in the ears,” he said.
“He’s had all these maggots in the ears all crawling around which had been there for a long time.
“When I actually got to talk to him, examine his ears and look at his history, his medical notes span right back to when he was 12 months old.
“We’re talking about a 49-year-old male – when you look back in his notes – represented from 12 months of age with ear disease.
“Unfortunately I think it is too late – by the time I’m seeing a patient I feel really sad because unfortunately they’ve missed it.”
Problem extends to extreme social issues
Dr Kong said it started as a health issue, but often extended to extreme social issues.
“Can’t hear, considered a naughty person in the classroom, put at the back, kicked out of classroom, didn’t get education, illiterate, innumerate, welfare dependent, social disharmony – all these things occur,” he said.
Dr Kelvin Kong said a proactive approach must extend across Australia to really make a difference.
“Every opportunity that we get to meet a child, we should be looking at ears to make sure they’re okay,” he said.
“Whether that be in the form of looking with nodoscope, hearing test, or just question – ‘how are the ears, are you worried about hearing?’ so you can refer on.”