Addressing the Global Neglect of Childhood Hearing Impairment in Developing Countries

April 2007 | Volume 4 | Issue 4 | e74 The number of children worldwide with hearing impairment is increasing, and these children face a number of obstacles and burdens, given that spoken language is the predominant medium of communication and social interaction. Adequate auditory stimulation, in early childhood in particular, is the foundation for optimal speech and language development as well as the acquisition of literacy skills [1,2]. Failure to detect early and effectively manage within the fi rst year of life a permanent hearing impairment that is congenital or that originates in the neonatal period has been associated with signifi cant and irreversible defi cits in speech and in linguistic, cognitive, and educational development [3,4]. In recognition of the growing and signifi cant burden of hearing impairment globally, the World Health Assembly (WHA) in 1995 passed a resolution on the prevention and control of major causes of avoidable hearing impairment and on early detection in “babies, toddlers, and children” within the framework of primary health care [5]. The WHA is made up of ministers of health of United Nations member states and is responsible for determining the policies of the World Health Organization (WHO) to refl ect the preferences of the UN member states [6]. Although neonatal hearing screening of all infants has become a standard of public health care in developed countries, the current priorities of major global health actors such as the World Bank and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have yet to address the needs of infants with lifelong hearing impairment in developing countries [7,8]. Considering the substantial infl uence of global health priorities on government programs in many developing countries, this exclusion is likely to prevent vital public investment into early hearing detection services for an estimated 718,000 babies born annually in these countries [8,9]. This article therefore examines the current profi le of global health-care fi nancing and the opportunities for promoting this essential, time-bound health intervention in developing countries.