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Listen to the sounds of why hearing matters to the Alaskan Native people.
听见声音对于阿拉斯加的原住民而言很重要。
Hearing loss makes it hard to fish on the open water,
听力缺损会造成在开放水域捕鱼、
hunt caribou and harvest berries, activities central to Alaskan Native culture.
猎杀北美驯鹿以及采收莓类变得更困难，这些活动对于阿拉斯加原住民文化而言都很重要。
Hearing loss isn't unique to rural Alaska. It's global.
并不是只有阿拉斯加农村的人才有听力缺损问题。它是全球性的问题。
The Global Burden of Disease Project estimates there are 1.1 billion people living with hearing loss worldwide.
“全球性疾病负担研究”估计全世界有11亿人带着听力缺损在过生活。
That's more people than the entire population here in sub-Saharan Africa.
这个数目比整个撒哈拉以南非洲的人口还多。
Over 80 percent are in low- and middle-income countries, and many have no access to hearing care.
这些人当中，超过80%都住在中低收入的国家，许多人没有办法取得听力照护。
The impact on people's lives is tremendous. Anuk is a three-year-old boy I treated in Alaska.
他们的生活受到很大的冲击。阿努克是我在阿拉斯加治疗的一位三岁男孩。
Ear infections started when he was barely four months old.
当他才几乎要四个月大时，就开始出现耳朵感染。
His parents brought him into clinic, worried he didn't say much compared to his brothers.
他的父母带他去诊所，担心相对于他的兄弟，他的话比较少，可能是有问题。
Sure enough, many rounds of infections had resulted in hearing loss.
当然，许多次的感染造成了听力缺损。
Without treatment, Anuk's speech will continue to lag behind.
在没有治疗的情况下，阿努克的说话能力就会持续落后。
He's more likely to do worse in school, have worse job prospects and experience social isolation.
他在学校的表现很可能会比较差，工作的前景也比较不好，还有可能会经历到社会孤立的状况。
But it doesn't have to be this way.
但不见得一定要如此。
The World Health Organization estimates that half of all global hearing loss can be prevented.
世界卫生组织估计，在全球的听力缺损中，有一半是可预防的。
If Anuk's hearing loss is identified and treated promptly,
如果阿努克的听力缺损适时被发现和治疗，
his life and the opportunities he has as he grows up could look vastly different.
他在成长过成中的生活和机会都会有很大的不同。
I'm an ear surgeon working with partners around the world on new pathways for hearing loss prevention.
我是位耳外科医生，和全世界的伙伴合作，想找到新的方式来预防听力缺损。
This solution comes from my collaboration with a tribal health organization called the Norton Sound Health Corporation.
这个解决方案是我和一个部落的健康组织合作的结果，这个组织叫诺顿湾健康公司。
Hearing loss evaluation traditionally requires testing by an audiologist in a soundproof room, with a lot of permanent equipment.
传统上，若要做听力缺损的评估，需要在一间隔音室中由听力师做测试，里面还要有许多固定式设备。
An ear surgeon then examines Anuk's ears under a microscope and decides a treatment plan.
耳外科医生接着会在显微镜下检视阿努克的耳朵，判断要用什么治疗计划。
These resources simply aren't available in remote settings.
而偏远的地方不可能有这些资源。
In a state where 75 percent of communities aren't connected to a hospital by road, an expensive flight is required.
在这个州，75%的小区和医院间没有道路连结，于是会需要昂贵的飞行费用。
To overcome these barriers, Alaska has developed a state-of-the-art telemedicine system
为了要克服这些障碍，阿拉斯加开发了一个先进的远程医疗系统，
that connects over 250 village health clinics with specialists who triage all types of health concerns.
链接超过250个村落健康诊所，并且配有将病人依各种健康问题做快速分类的专家。
My colleagues have validated that ear-related telemedicine consults are equivalent to an in-person exam.
我同事已经验证，和耳朵相关的远程医疗咨询和面对面的检验有相同的效果。
In 2016, travel was prevented for 91 percent of patients receiving specialty telemedicine in the Norton Sound region.
2016年，诺顿湾地区接受专业远程医疗的病人，91%省去了亲自跑一趟的麻烦。
Telemedicine has saved over 18 million in travel costs in this single region over the past 15 years.
光在这个区域，在过去15年间，远程医疗就协助省下了1800万美金的旅费成本。
Our team is taking the power of telemedicine to a new level,
我们的团队要让远程医疗的力量再更上一层楼，
through a project funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.
靠的就是一个由患者导向医疗效果研究所资助的计划。
For the first time, we are merging telemedicine with mobile screening technology
这是第一次，我们将远程医疗与行动筛检技术结合，
that extends the reach of expert triage beyond health care settings.
这种技术能将专家所做的病人快速分类延伸到健康照护环境以外的地方。
This cell-based screen, developed in South Africa,
这种以细胞为基础的筛检是在南非开发出来的，
costs over 10 times less than traditional equipment and does not require advanced training.
它的成本不到传统设备的十分之一，且不需要进阶的训练。
If I were screening Anuk at school, sound-attenuating headphones and noise monitoring would take the place of a sound booth,
如果我在学校里为阿努克做筛检，减噪耳机和噪音监控就会取代隔音间，
and I would use a phone adapter instead of a microscope to examine his ears.
我就会用手机转接器而不是显微镜来检测他的耳朵。
In a matter of minutes, screening and images are done.
只要几分钟的时间，筛检和影像就完成了。
We then apply Alaska telemedicine technology to transmit the data to specialists, who connect Anuk to the treatment he needs.
接着，我们应用阿拉斯加电视医疗技术将数据传输给专家，他们会将阿努克和他所需要的治疗做连结。
Our team is launching a randomized trial in 15 communities along the Bering Sea to study how well this intervention works.
我们的团队在白令海沿岸15个小区开始进行随机试验，来研究这种干预治疗方式的效果。
Our goal is to prevent childhood hearing loss across the state of Alaska.
我们的目标是要在阿拉斯加州预防童年听力缺损。
But the concept is bigger than a single state. The impact is global.
但是这一想法不能仅仅局限于单独的一个州。影响是是全球性的。
Mobile telemedicine can revolutionize access to care.
移动远程医疗可以彻底改变医疗保健的获取途径。
In Malawi, for example, there are only two ear surgeons and 11 audiologists for a population of 17 million.
比如，在马拉维，只有2位耳外科医生和11位听力师，人口却有1700万人。
This technology could empower teachers and community health workers to provide access to care to children in places like Malawi.
这项技术能够在马拉维这类地方，让老师及小区健康工作者有能力协助儿童取得照护。
Scaling up globally could change children's lives who have never had access to hearing care before,
若能扩及全球，就能协助以前从来没有办法取得听力治疗的儿童，改善他们的生活，
using just the power of a cell phone.
只需要用一支手机的力量就可以做到这点。
It's time to change the course of preventable hearing loss.
现在是为可预防之听力缺损带来改变的时候了。
Anuk and countless children like him are depending on us. Thank you.
阿努克和无数像他一样的儿童都要仰赖我们。谢谢。
