Over 2M babies in Egypt undergone screening for hearing loss

CAIRO – 19 September 2021: Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed announced Sunday that 2.018 million newborn children had been screened for hearing loss since September 2019.

That is within a presidential initiative targeted at the early detection of hearing loss, which has to be carried out within 28 days of birth.

The minister noted that the country currently has 3,500 healthcare units performing such screening, and that 6,080 non-Egyptian babies benefited from the service.

The screening resulted in detecting hearing impairment among 11,363 children, who were referred to hospitals to get either cochlear implants or hearing aids. Moreover, 119,345 others will be subject to a second examination to better determine the condition.