Under the project 'Child Care Centre,' jointly launched by the Indian Academy of Paediatrics Chapter and District Council for Child Welfare in 2003, so far 400 high risk newborns were screened and 25 babies were found to be suffering from hearing problems.

Project Coordinator Abraham K Paul told newspersons here today that a six-month-old baby was the youngest to have received the aid successfully.

''The incidence of hearing loss in general population is two-four per thousand and it is 15 per thousand among high risk cases like premature babies,'' Dr Paul said.

''If the hearing loss is detected and remedied after one year, language development of the child will be adversely affected and if detection is made after two-three years, the child will become deaf and dumb,'' Dr K C George said.

The association, which has been holding screening free of cost in government hospitals here, was planning to extend the programme to all the districts of the state, they said.

By Kerala News