Deafness in children could be diagnosed on the very first days of life. From this year, all the newborns will undergo hearing screening. For the first time, the Ministry of Health approved a national standard that regulates this examination in newborns, IPN reports, quoting a press release of the Ministry of Health.

The newborn hearing screening will be performed in all the national perinatology centers by neonatologists, otolaryngologists and medical assistants. For the purpose, the maternity hospitals will be outfitted with medical equipment that enables to early detect hearing impairments in newborns. The medical devices for hearing screening were provided within a project financed by the Government of Japan.

The newborns with deafness will be monitored and treated at the Republican Audiology Center of the Clinic “Emilian Cotaga”. If it is treated early, the hearing impairment does not affect the child’s speech and intellectual development.

Currently, there are no national statistics about the number of children born with hearing impairments. The International Institute of Deaf Services estimates that 3 to 1,000 newborns suffer from deafness. More than 1,400 deaf children are under supervision at the Republican Audiology Center.