This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Screening for infant hearing loss increased in the United States
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
U.S. health officials have made progress identifying and providing early intervention services to infants with hearing loss, with the percentage of infants screened increasing from 46.5% to 97% from 1999 to 2007, CDC data indicated.
However, challenges remain in ensuring that infants receive recommended follow-up, diagnostic and early intervention services, CDC researchers wrote in a recent issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
All states and U.S. territories have now established Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs, which help ensure that infants are screened for hearing loss and receive recommended follow-up diagnostic and early intervention services. Yet, in 2007 there was no documentation for more than 28,000 infants who received follow-up care.
Efforts are currently underway to enhance EHDI surveillance systems and increase education and outreach efforts to families and providers about the importance of receiving recommended follow-up services.
Congenital hearing loss affects two to three infants per 1,000 live births and, if left undetected, can result in delays in children’s speech and language development.
CDC. MMWR. 2010;59:8:220-223.