Health

VAANI Deaf Children’s Foundation’s Health Program is committed to early identification, early intervention, and comprehensive support for children with hearing impairment.

New Born Screening (0-2 years)
  • New Born Screening (0-2 years)
  • Community Ear Screening (4+ years)

New Born Screening (0-2 years)

According to the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Deafness (NPPCD), India:

  • Approximately 1 to 3 out of 1000 newborns are born with deafness.
  • According to recent studies, the incidence of bilateral permanent newborn and infant hearing loss in India is estimated to be between 1.5 to 6 per 1000 live births .
  • Approximately 6% of the population, or around 63 million people, suffer from hearing impairment.
  • The prevalence of hearing impairment is higher in rural areas (7.4%) compared to urban areas (4.6%).
  • The majority of hearing-impaired individuals (55.6%) are in the age group of 0-14 years.

Early detection and intervention are critical in addressing hearing impairment in babies, as it can significantly impact their language development, social skills, and overall quality of life.

VAANI Deaf Children’s Foundation’s Newborn Hearing Screening program is a comprehensive initiative aimed at detecting hearing impairments in newborns within 48-72 hours of birth. The program is designed to ensure that every newborn baby is screened for hearing impairments before discharge from the hospital. We carry out this program in collaboration with the NPPCD department and State Government Hospitals and Public Health Centres (PHCs). This is a free cost service provided to newborn babies and families.

Our comprehensive program includes:

Screening newborns for hearing impairments using advanced technology

Counselling mothers on ear hygiene and potential ear issues

Referring babies with hearing problems for confirmatory tests (BERA) and further habilitation

Providing hearing aids and guiding parents on government schemes, UDID cards, and cochlear implant schemes

Starting educational intervention as early as possible after detection of hearing loss

Collaborating with government hospitals to ensure universal newborn screening

VAANI’s Newborn Hearing Screening program emphasizes the importance of early detection, timely diagnosis, and immediate intervention to ensure the best possible outcomes for children with hearing loss.

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Key Milestones We Want To Achieve:

  • Screening: No later than 1 month of age.
  • Diagnosis: No later than 3 months of age.
  • Early Intervention: No later than 6 months of age.
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New Born Babies Reached
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Parents Counseled

The success of this program highlights the importance of collaboration between the government, NGOs, technical partners and other stakeholders in addressing critical health issues affecting children.

Currently, VAANI has established partnerships with government hospitals in Karnataka, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, and Maharashtra resulting in the establishment of 4 newborn screening centres. Through these centres, VAANI has successfully screened 35,000+ newborn babies for hearing loss. Additionally, VAANI has provided parent counselling to 35000+ mothers, focusing on the prevention of hearing loss and the importance of maintaining ear health.

Help VAANI reach as many deaf children as possible. All donations made to VAANI are 50% exempt from tax under section 80G of the Income Tax Act.

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