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FOUNDATION TOTAI -
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The Programme for Prevention of Hearing Impairment ¡OYE BOLIVIA! is a
Public Health programme, its main activities are based at Beni State:
3.1.- Raising awareness:
The first step of a prevention programme is to raise awareness at all levels
and to train people who can make a difference in their area of influence and
expertise (community, schools, health centres, mass communication media,
etc.)
3.2.- Primary Prevention:
The most effective way of prevention is active field intervention to avoid the
development of known causes of deafness, hearing impairment and ear
disease (hearing conservation, immunisations etc).
3.3.- Secondary Prevention:
Once the cause is no longer preventable, the best form of secondary
prevention is EARLY IDENTIFICATION, so that definitive diagnosis can take
place and treatment or other interventions can be provided as soon as
possible to prevent development of complications or advancement of the
condition/disease. To best achieve early identification, universal screening
is the gold standard (neonates, infants, pre-school and school age).
3.4.- Tertiary Prevention:
If the Disabling Hearing Loss is already a reality, tertiary prevention consists
of REHABILITATION and SOCIAL INTEGRATION. Hearing Aids are a
method to help people living with Hearing Loss to find a job or have a
healthy social, personal life. Surgery (see point 1 above this lines) can stop
some types of ear disease and also restore or improve hearing loss.
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1.- Microsurgery of the Middle Ear
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FUNDACIÓN TOTAI - ¡ OYE BOLIVIA !
John 15:8 - "This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."
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2.1.- Primary Ear and Hearing Care (PEHC) training:
PEHC Manuals (WHO-CBM initiative) were translated into Spanish at
Fundación Totaí, Trinidad-Beni, Bolivia and are now used to train both
health and community workers.Total people trained during 2007: 102
2.2.- Basic audiometric training (diagnostic and screening):
Total people trained during 2007: 2
2.3.- Ear mould making technician:
Total people trained during 2007: 1
2.4.- Outpatients ear nurse training:
Total people trained during 2007: 1
2.5.- Ear surgery first assistant (scrub nurse) training:
Total people trained during 2007: 5
2.6.- Community Based Rehabilitation in PEHC training:
Total people trained during 2007: 5
2.7- Health and Especial Education professional groups:
Total talks and conferences during 2007: 8
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PROGRAMME FOR PREVENTION OF DEAFNESS
¡OYE BOLIVIA! - You can find on this page:
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Microscopic surgery of the middle ear commenced at the ¡OYE BOLIVIA!
programme in October 2007. This type of surgery had never been
performed in the Beni State before.
Thanks to CBM (Christian Blind Mission), ¡Oye Bolivia! now has all
the necessary equipment and instruments to operate on patients who
suffer with Chronic Otitis Media (perforated ear drum, discharging ears
and also a potentially life threatening and/or disabling condition called
cholesteatoma) and Conductive Hearing Loss (middle ear bones'
disease and Serous Otitis Media, also known as Glue Ear).
The surgical team involved included visiting Dr. Richard Wagner (USA,
bottom right photo) form ENT Global Outreach, who was comissioned
by CBM to help the ear surgery activities of ¡Oye Bolivia! programme
to a good start, resident Dr. Diego Santana, ENT surgeon and
coordiantor of the programme; Local anesthetists Dr. Valeriano Fimo
and Dr. Javier Michel and Fundación Totaí's local nursing staff,
specially surgically trained for the occasion.
TOTAL ENT operations: 100, of which 29 were major ear surgery
1.- Microsurgery of the Middle Ear starts
2.- Training of Health and Community workers
3.- Activities of the Programme ¡Oye Bolivia!
4.- Published articles (in English and Spanish)
5.- Research on Pneumoccocal disease by Scottish team
4.- Published Articles - PPHI
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2.- Training of Health & Community workers
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3.- Activities of the Programme ¡OYE BOLIVIA!
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During June and July 2007, Dr Donald Inverarity and Dr Mathew Diggle
visited Trinidad and worked alongside Fundación Totaí's PPHI.
Screening of 601 school children was carried out and nasal swabs
were taken and cultured to study the Molecular Epidemiology of
Streptoccocus pneumoniae carried by about a third of the people
studied. Results regarding different serotypes (some never published
before) and antibiotic resistances encountered have been most
significant.
Local laboratory run by Dr & Mrs Peter Altstadt were also involved in
this project.
To read the abstract and an unpublished article about the
preliminary findings: Click on the links below:
5.1- Abstract
The Molecular Epidemiology of Streptoccocus pneumoniae
carried in Beni State, Bolivia - to be published soon
5.2- Preliminary findings
Preliminary report on Beni research - to be published soon
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5.- Research on Pneumoccocal disease by
Scottish team visiting Trinidad in June 2007
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