According to WHO data, around 63 million people are suffering from Significant Auditory Impairment, making it the most common sensory deficit today.
Representative pic of audiologist checking a patient. Identification of hearing loss to get delayed. (Wikimedia Commons)
Aiming to detect hearing impairment early, Kerala will screen all children aged under six. The ambitious project will be piloted in the Thrissur district before being rolled out statewide. Despite hearing impairment being one of the most common sensory deficits, there are insufficient systems to tackle the issue.