The State Welfare Organization has so far tested children aged 3-5 in 13 provinces for hearing loss, according to a SWO official.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Mohsen Firouzbakht, the head of the organization’s Children’s Hearing Loss workgroup, said the scheme will go nationwide, albeit gradually.
“It’s a major project that will take time to complete,” he was quoted as saying by ISNA.
Prevalence of hearing loss at birth is 2.9 in every 1,000 births; the figure is higher in South Khorasan Province as well as in regions where cousin marriages are widespread
The earlier hearing loss is diagnosed the better, as fewer complications will afflict the people in the future, he said.
