ALL babies should have their hearing routinely tested, say child health
professionals. But the political system is standing in the way.
Peter Baghurst, from the Public Health Unit at the Women鈥檚 and Children鈥檚
Hospital in Adelaide, has written about the issue in the latest newsletter of
the Public Health Association of Australia. He points out that about 500
children are born each year in Australia with permanent hearing impairment.
Their prospects vary according to where they live. Victoria provides a routine
screening test for all babies before they reach nine months, so most serious
problems are detected. The other states have no such programme, and on average
hearing difficulties are not detected until about the age of two. In fact, says
Baghurst, hearing deficiencies are often only detected when developmental
problems are investigated.
The failure to identify and treat hearing defects makes it more likely a
child will suffer in such areas as acquisition of language. This can often be
serious, because language is also the key to manipulating concepts and hence to
future learning. Research overseas shows that children whose hearing
deficiencies are detected and treated within the first six months of life are
more likely to develop normal language and communication skills. So there is a
strong case for universal screening.
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And it is now possible to detect hearing problems simply and easily using a
clever technique that measures the way cochlear hair cells respond to sound. The
technique is non-invasive, and only requires a small probe to be placed in the
outer ear of the sleeping baby for a minute or two.
But the political system presents a problem. The Commonwealth government
assumes responsibility for treating hearing-impaired children until they reach
the age of 21. But it leaves all screening to the states. As Baghurst says, 鈥淚n
the current climate of health care funding, it is difficult to see states
diverting money away from acute treatment needs鈥� to pay for screening. Although
the cost to the health budget of such a screening program would be much less
than the savings on remedial education, the money to pay for education comes
from a different department鈥檚 pocket. In this way, the structure of the
Australian system of government is preventing a sensible solution. Baghurst and
his colleagues are organising a national forum later this month to try to
develop a strategy to break the impasse.
Whenever I refer in this column to the urban air pollution caused by motor
vehicles, my mailbox and that of the editor are swamped with missives from
people who believe the impact of wood-burning stoves to be more serious. They
have some justification, as I discussed last year
(Antipodes, 22 April, 2000).
Regional cities such as Armidale and Launceston have serious air quality
problems on winter nights when hundreds of wood stoves are alight. The resulting
smoke causes distress to people with respiratory problems.
Now some American work suggests that the soot particles from stoves burning
wood or coal may also make a serious contribution to global warming. A study by
Stanford University researcher Mike Jacobson found that soot particles in the
air increase the amount of solar radiation absorbed in the atmosphere, thus
adding directly to global warming. He has called for measures to phase out
burning solid fuels. 鈥淭he largest source of mortality from air pollution is
indoor burning of biomass and coal,鈥� Jacobson says. 鈥淩eduction of such burning,
therefore, will not only mitigate global warming but also will save lives.鈥�
Australia鈥檚 coral reefs are the best managed of any in the world, according
to a report just released by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, an
international grouping of scientists sponsored by the United Nations. Status
of Coral Reefs of the World: 2000 says that Australian reefs are in good to
excellent condition, with the lowest level of human impact of any continental
reefs.
But the report also identifies problems, especially on the Great Barrier
Reef. It says that the impacts of increasing professional and recreational
fishing are serious. So is the problem of run-off from the land, bringing with
it sediment, pesticides and nutrients. This is mostly a structural problem. The
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, whose management is praised in the
report, has no jurisdiction over the agricultural activities on the mainland
which cause the problem鈥攂anana growing, sugar cane farming and cattle
grazing.
Perhaps the changes to ministerial responsibilities after the recent
Queensland election will lead to some progress. The new Attorney-General, Rod
Welford, previously was the environment minister.