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New Delhi: A five-year-old boy who had lost his hearing after meningitis as a toddler became the first child to undergo an auditory brain stem implant at AIIMS and is responding to sounds nearly 18 months after the complex surgery.
The procedure, reserved for rare cases, was undertaken after doctors found that the damage to his auditory nerves couldn’t be fixed by a conventional cochlear implant. An auditory brain stem implant bypasses the damaged nerve and directly stimulates the hearing centres in the brain.
Since activation of the device and with continuous speech therapy, the child began recognising environmental sounds and producing clearer speech. Doctors described his progress as steady and encouraging, emphasising the crucial role of rehabilitation in such cases.
Sharing details on the eve of World Hearing Day, professor Rakesh Kumar, head of the ENT department, along with professor Kapil Sikka, Dr Poonam Sagar and speech therapist Shivani, said the case highlighted a larger public health concern — hearing loss often goes unnoticed until critical developmental years pass. “Hearing loss is a hidden disability,” Prof Kumar said. “Hearing loss is not visible. That is why families delay seeking help.”
Doctors said many parents still relied on myths, assuming a child would “start speaking late” like another family member. In reality, babies begin babbling simple sounds such as “mama” or “dada” by five-six months. If a child does not respond to sounds or fails to achieve speech milestones by seven to nine months, evaluation is essential.
AIIMS has implemented universal newborn hearing screening for every baby born there since 2021. They undergo screening through tests such as ABR, also known as BERA. If a baby fails the first screening, it is repeated within 24 hours. Confirmatory testing is conducted within the first month, if needed.
Doctors stressed that not all hearing loss required major surgery. In children, simple causes such as earwax or infections are common and treatable. Among older adults, age-related hearing loss, presbycusis, affects nearly 30-40% of people above 60 and can often be managed with hearing aids.
They cautioned that untreated hearing loss could lead to social withdrawal, particularly among the elderly. Many avoid conversations out of embarrassment when they struggle to follow speech. Over time, such isolation may contribute to cognitive decline.
Estimates suggest 6-7% of Indians has some degree of hearing loss, and more than 70% is either preventable or treatable. Congenital hearing loss affects about 0.2% of newborns, translating into thousands of affected babies each year in India.
