ENT conditions are commonly seen by general practitioners but are unfortunately a neglected part of the undergraduate curriculum. In this issue we have attempted to address some conditions that are probably not adequately discussed in medical schools.

Childhood hearing loss is a common condition that is, unfortunately, often recognised very late, leading to severe adverse effects on children’s development. There is a misconception among healthcare workers that children’s hearing can only be tested from the age of 2 years. It is essential that hearing loss be diagnosed as early as possible in order for it to be properly managed. For this to occur, it is essential that universal newborn hearing screening be rolled out for the early diagnosis and management of congenital hearing loss and that hearing screening programmes be instituted in school. In his article, Iain Butler discusses the identification and management of childhood hearing loss.

The dizzy patient is one that most doctors dread seeing. Johan Grobbelaar provides an excellent overview of the clinical evaluation of the dizzy and patient and briefly discusses the most common causes of vertigo.

Hearing aids are devices that are misunderstood. There is a misconception that these devices can simply be bought off the shelf. The article on hearing aids provides a brief overview of these devices and highlights the need for appropriate evaluation, hearing aid selection and the need for follow up after fitting.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic affects all fields of medicine and otorhinolaryngology is not excluded. Werner Hoek provides a brief overview of the manifestation of HIV in the head and neck region.

Infectious conditions are common in ENT. Johannes Claassen discusses the sore throat, a condition commonly encountered in general practice, and discusses pharyngitis and tonsillitis.

We also have two short articles on the management of acute bacterial sinusitis and chronic suppurative otitis media.

I would like to thank CME for dedicating this issue to ENT.