21 Feb 2013

More children recalled for hearing screening

2:46 pm on 21 February 2013

Health authorities in the North Island are recalling a further 1900 children to have their hearing rechecked.

It follows the revelation in nationwide review late last year that 2000 babies in six health board areas had not been properly screened.

The official review found that some staff either screened the same ear of a baby twice, screened just one ear and then one of their own, or tested both of their own ears instead of the babies'.

Hawke's Bay District Health Board is recalling 1524 children - 747 who had been screened since 2008 and now identified as not having been screened correctly and 777 babies born in the past six months.

The DHB says it's confident the chance of a baby with a congenital hearing loss having been missed is low, but checks are needed.

It says parents will be sent reappointment letters over the next 12 weeks.

Waikato DHB is sending out letters on Thursday today to 377 parents.