Deafblindness and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are known to be at more risk of having a dual vision and hearing disability. This increased risk is a result of their increased prevalence and risk for a number of the causal factors for deafblindness including:
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women living in rural and remote communities may not have adequate immunity to the rubella virus, increasing the number of children born with congenital rubella syndrome.1
• Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS): In WA the prevalence of FAS is estimated to be 0.02 per 1,000 for non-Aboriginal children and 2.76 per 1,000 for Aboriginal children.2
• Prematurity is more common in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies: the proportion of non-Aboriginal pre-term babies ranged from 7.3% in 1997 to 7.7% in 2000 with these proportions being much higher in Aboriginal mothers, 12.5% in 1997-2000.3
• Higher rates of diabetes mellitus have been demonstrated in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations than non Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations: diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of vision impairment in adults younger than 40 years in the developed world. 4
• Trachoma is the leading cause of infectious vision loss worldwide. In Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities the prevalence of trachoma remains high, with reported rates in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children ranging from 55% in the Pilbara and 40% in Central Australia.5
References
1. Hunt JM, Lumley J. (2004) Top end rural and remote indigenous women: an Australian population group vulnerable to rubella. Communicable Diseases Intelligence 28(4): 499-503.
2. Bower C, Silva D, Henderson T, Ryan A, Rudy E. (2000) Ascertainment of birth defects: the effects on completeness of adding a new source of data. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health 36: 574-576.
3. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). (2003) Disability Prevalence and Trends. Disability Series. AIHW Cat. No. DIS 34. Canberra: AIHW.
4. Lamoureux E, Hassell J, Keefe J. (2004) The impact of diabetic retinopathy on participation in daily living. Archives of Ophthalmology 122(1): 84-88.
5. Zubrick S. et al. (2004) The Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey: the Health of Aboriginal Children and Young People. Perth: Telethon Institute for Child Health Research
MORE INFORMATION
For more information contact Kelly Gurr, Manager Life Skills & Family Services, (08) 9473 5458 or lsfs@senses.asn.au
