New Delhi: Loss of hearing may have set in, in millions of Children in India, thanks to incessant online classes during COVID 19 pandemic. ENT experts expressed concern on the eveof WorldHearing Day (March 3) in an ear screening program in one of Delhi schools. Dr A K Agarwal, a renowned ENT specialist and President, Society for Sound Hearingmade an impassioned appeal in the program to take note of escalating risks of loss of hearing. He stressed the immediate need of intervention to stop loss of hearing in its track lest it led to deafness in them.
Ear, the delicate organ of hearing and balance, is increasingly under siege. Of various reasons causing hearing loss, the experts underlined constant jarring loud sound as villain of the piece. Dr Ravi Meher, Director Professor, ENT, MAMC, SPO, NPPCD, Delhi State pointed out the consequence of online classes during Corona Pandemic. He expressed his fear that it might have led to beginning of loss of hearing in a large number of children in the country. Dr Alok Gupta, ENT Specialist Grade 1, School Health Scheme, DGHS, said that School screening program in Delhi schools has been prompted by the perceived epidemic of hearing loss in school children.
Dr Aggarwal, Ex-Dean and Prof. of Excellence, Dept of ENT, MAMC, bemoaned the ‘love of noise’ in Indians, saying that utter disregard for sound hearing has led to early ageing deafness in India. He added while the age of beginning of ageing deafness 55 here, it is 70 plus in elsewhere. Diabetes could also be the prime causing factor in it. Loss of hearing also has its role in Dementia. Dr Aggarwal also red flagged constant hearing of alarmingly loud music and other programs through ear phones and headphones. He said doing this in a metro ride is becoming a recipe for start of loss of hearing because in a metro ride we increase the sound to maximum to cancel out noise generated by metro train.
The ear screening program at Rajkiya Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya No 3, Veer Savarkar Block, Shakarpur was part of Medtronic Labs’ Shruti programme and was organized in partnership with the Government of NCT Delhi and National Program for Prevention and Control of Deafness.
According to the WHO, the prevalence of disabling hearing loss in children is highest in the south Asia region. Four in every 1000 children suffer from severe to profound hearing loss. Hearing loss can affect language development, self-esteem and social skills, emotional well-being, and the academic outcomes in children – all of which can lead to reduced employment opportunities and other issues later in life.
Dr Agarwal, further said, ‘eliminating avoidable hearing impairment is not just desirable but should be our goal. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around 60% of childhood hearing loss could be avoided through prevention measures. Robust ear care programs that help in community-based screening and early identification can play a significant role. There is a need to use some of the latest technologies such as teleotology and teleaudiology for diagnosis and management of ear diseases remotely. This is even more relevant after the Covid-19 pandemic. One such technology which is available with us is Shruti”
Dr Alok Gupta, added, “Hearing loss can have a significant impact on a child and its future. Early identification of hearing loss in children followed by appropriate interventions can potentially minimize developmental delays and facilitate communication, education and social development. It is our endeavour to ensure that every child is screened for ear diseases and hearing loss. Initiatives that can help in universalization of screening of the school children with respect to ear care will go a long way in combating this invisible disability”
Adding further, Kaustubh Bhatnagar, Chief operating officer, Medtronic Labs, said, Shruti is one of the finest examples of impactful innovations that has fundamentally altered the care pathways for ear diseases and hearing loss. Shruti brings together innovative field-based screening tools and digital platforms that can help governments and organizations take healthcare into communities and other such out-of-hospital settings to create sustainable impact. Shruti is working on a mission mode to ensure that children across the country have access to ear care and benefit from early identification and treatment.”
Dr Ravi Meher, Director Professor, ENT, MAMC, SPO, NPPCD, Delhi State, said, “WHO’s theme for this World hearing day stresses the importance of safe listening. The current younger generation who are often exposed to loud music need to be cognizant of the perilous impact of sustained exposure to such loud noises. These screening initiatives will help further spread the awareness about ear care and safe listening”
The screening programmes were conducted using an innovative field ear screening kit called the ENTraview designed by Medtronic labs. ENTraview is a custom designed smart Otoscope built for field usage. A telemedicine application which runs on the device enables health care staff to capture patient ID, symptoms, images of the ear and preliminary diagnosis. The completed test is transmitted to a cloud server which can then be accessed by the caregivers.
Shruti is India’s largest outreach program in the domain of ear care. It uses community-centric technologies to alter the way ear care is delivered in the country. Shruti address the entire ear care continuum from screening to treatment and more than 9 lakh people have been screened. Its mission is to touch the lives of one billion Indians and make ear care available to one and all.
