A national project to provide care to children and elderly people with hearing problems, and train doctors about how to detect and treat hearing disorders will kick off early next year in China.

The project, Hearing the Future, will run for five years and is being organized by the Ministry of Health, the China Disabled Persons' Federation and the Chinese branch of Denmark-based GN ReSound.

"Children with congenital hearing defects and the elderly with degraded hearing are key targets of this program," said Victor Zhang from GN ReSound China in Shanghai. "The ministry will give courses to medical professionals to solve the present shortage of audiologists and hearing specialists."

More than 25 million Chinese people have hearing problems, including 1.7 million deaf people under the age of 15.

Congenital hearing disorders are the result of genetic problems, viral infections during pregnancy, and problems with delivery.

Only 20,000 deaf children receive language rehabilitation every year, due to poor awareness and a lack of medical professionals.

Educating parents on the risks of medication and other impacts during pregnancy and providing newborns with early screening is important to prevent and control children's hearing disorders, experts said.

"The best time for hearing and language training is within six months of birth," said Dr Xu Zhengmin from Fudan University's Children's Hospital. "Effective treatment and training can greatly control and even cure the disability and improve children's life quality in the future."

The program will also provide the elderly information on hearing assistance facilities. In China, more than 80 percent of hearing aids are purchased for children, as many old people don't know they can control hearing loss.

(Shanghai Daily December 12, 2005)