New born

Every year an estimated eight million children -- about six percent of total births worldwide -- are born with a serious birth defect of genetic or partially genetic origin, according studies.

''six to seven percent of the 130 million or so children born every year being affected by a serious birth defect that will either cause a child to die, or if a child doesn't die, it will place the child at serious risk of disability,''
Additionally, hundreds of thousands more are born with serious birth defects of post-conception origin due to maternal exposure to environmental agents, such as alcohol, rubella, and syphilis,

Many reports reveal that at least 3.3 million children less than five years of age die annually because of serious birth defects, defined as any serious abnormality of structure or function. An estimated 3.2 million of those who survive may be mentally and physically disabled for life.
Birth defects are a global problem, but their impact is particularly severe in middle and low income countries where more than 94 percent of births with serious defects.
''But about 70 percent of birth defects can either be prevented, or with treatment we can significantly reduce the chance of a child becoming disabled ''

New born screening for early detection of hearing loss

A project being undertaken to study the new born in corporation maternity hospitals in Chennai aiming to do as an ongoing project for ever with .Lions Club International District 324 A5 and MERF Institute of Speech and Hearing and Corporation Maternity Hospital at Saidapet

There are some high risk factors which may cause hearing impairment in new born babies.

A Proforma high lighting these factors will be administered to the parents and the babies identified to have any one or more of the factors will be taken for neonatal hearing screening.An objective test procedure with the instrument called Oto-Acoustic Emission (OAE) will be carried out. The outcome of the procedure will be the baby either passes or fails. Those babies fail in this procedure will be subjected for detailed objective and behavioral test procedures at the MERF Institute of Speech and Hearing. The final diagnosis will be arrived at even before the 3 months of age.

By the age of three months necessary intervention program can be started to help the child to hear, listen and develop speech and language at the appropriate age. We are hereby trying to do secondary and tertiary prevention of handicap in those who have hearing impairment. The high risk babies for developmental disabilities will be screened and intervened by AIKYA special school. This project aims to prevent liability to our country, and create productive citizens to our nation

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