AIISH’s New-born Screening Programme enables hearing disorder detection within days of birth

Mysore/Mysuru: Over 5 to 6 children per 1,000 births are born in India with hearing impairment and other hearing-related disorders every day. This means that over 12,000 children are born with hearing impairment in India every year and it is important to raise awareness of the issue so that these children can get the early intervention they need.

In order to address the pressing need for expanding the New-born Screening Programme (NBS), Mysuru-based All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH) has partnered with the Department of Health and Family Welfare to raise awareness among medical teams working under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) and District Early Intervention Centre (DEIC) regarding the screening of communication disorders in children.

Hearing impairment can be caused by a number of factors, including genetic disorders, infections during pregnancy and complications during birth. Early intervention is essential for children with hearing impairment, as it can help them develop language and communication skills.

If children have hearing impairment, it is important to have them screened as soon as possible. With early intervention, children with hearing impairment can go on to live happy and productive lives. According to experts at AIISH, with the implementation of audiological tests, hearing loss can be accurately identified right after birth.

As delayed identification poses a significant obstacle to effectively managing hearing loss in children, screening will be held within two months of age and treatment will be provided within three months as per the global standards.

 The pilot project of the New-born Screening Programme was launched in Mysuru at AIISH on June 21 in the presence of District Health Officer (DHO) Dr. K.H. Prasad, UNICEF-SBCC (Social Behaviour Change Communications) Programme Regional Director B. Ravish and District Reproductive and Child Health Officer (RCHO) Dr. M.S. Jayanth, AIISH Director Dr. M. Pushpavathi and head of Audiology Department Dr. Sandeep.

Screening on quarterly basis

Through this collaboration, AIISH aims to conduct new-born screening in the eight taluk hospitals in Mysuru on a quarterly basis. The District Early Inter Centre (DEIC) team has agreed to take the responsibility of bringing all the infants born in the last 3 months to taluk hospital on a specified day. The team of AIISH would visit the taluk hospitals to conduct new-born screening and identify at-risk infants.

AIISH has developed a specialised New-born Screening Programme that enables the screening of speech, language and hearing disorders in infants within a few days of their birth. This screening will take place at the bedside in 17 hospitals within Mysuru city and 30 outreach service centres.

Each month, over 6,000 new-borns will be screened through this programme and infants at risk of speech, language and hearing disorders are identified within one month of their birth.

To benefit more infants

This collaboration aims to expand the reach of AIISH’s NBS programme, benefiting more infants and covering additional geographical regions. Infants identified through this screening programme will be treated either at DEIC or AIISH, depending on the patients’ convenience.

In his address, DHO Dr. Prasad expressed that this collaboration will have a significant impact on society as it focuses on addressing communication disorders in children at an early age. The staff will be oriented on the risk indicators, process of identification and treatment.

Specifically, he applauded the initiative, noting that while screening for hearing loss already exists in the private sector, it will now be integrated into the public healthcare system as well. AIISH serves as the technical partner for this initiative and with AIISH’s support, the collaboration aims to successfully implement the programme, he added.