Fiji Update

In Fiji we began an ambitious screening project last May to assess all of the children in special schools in Fiji. We know that children in the regular schools in Fiji who struggle with reading or have any form of learning difficulty are encouraged to attend a special school. We also know that the children even at the School of the Deaf have often not been assessed for hearing loss. Many children’s disabilities are assessed purely by the headteacher conducting a parent interview at intake. We have now assessed over 1000 students in special schools. Below you can see the map of where we have been.

Of the children seen many have had ear infections or wax blockages. These children will be followed up and reassessed to make sure their hearing improves after treatment.

We have also found several children with mild or moderate hearing losses who were previously classified as speech delayed or learning disabled.   

With over 300 islands in Fiji, there are many more people to reach, but the partner organization Frank Hilton Organisation is running a public education program on the radio asking parents to get their children assessed if they have any of the risk factors, such as delayed language development or ear infection. We have seen a large increase in the number of outpatients coming to our clinic since these ads commenced.

Next year we will also visit a few new areas. For now, we must complete the follow-up services for those people we have seen and fit hearing aids to the children we detected with permanent hearing loss.