Students of the Lam Dong school for the deaf. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs’ department for child protection and care in collaboration with Swiss-based company Sonova organised an event in Hanoi on March 3 to mark International Ear Care Day.
Speaking at the event, Pham Thi Hai Ha, deputy head of the department, said the hearing-impaired account for 12 percent of some 1.3 million Vietnamese children with disabilities.
Half of childhood hearing loss is preventable, she noted.
Advanced technology enables many children to recover their hearing and learn to speak, she said.
However, a disabled child still needs care and support from parents and the community to integrate and seek a better life, she added.
Participating experts shared knowledge on the causes of hearing impairment, relevant caring methods and precautions.
A child can be born deaf or become so as consequence of the side effects of drugs or diseases such as ear infection, smallpox, measles and mumps.
Launched by the World Health Organisation and its partners, International Ear Care Day aims to raise awareness and promote ear and hearing care across the world.
WHO statistics showed that approximately 360 million people or 5 percent of world population live with hearing loss, of whom 32 million are children.-VNA
