Supporting kids’ hearing health

Associate Professor of Audiology Holly Teagle is leading work to increase understanding of Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and support those impacted by it. CMV is a widespread virus that stays in the body for life and can have a devastating impact on children’s hearing and development. Although typically harmless for healthy individuals, babies infected by CMV while in the womb can develop hearing loss, as well as other serious long-term conditions.

“CMV is the most common non-genetic cause of hearing loss in children,” says Holly. “It can affect one or both ears and range from mild to profound. It can also result in many developmental disorders, including neurodevelopmental delays and difficulties with balance and motor skills.”

Holly’s interest in CMV stems from a career dedicated to audiology, with a particular focus on cochlear implant care and hearing loss in children. After more than a decade working at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – home to one of the United States’ largest children’s cochlear implant programmes – she moved to New Zealand to take on a newly established role supported by the Pindrop Foundation: Associate Professor of Audiology at the University of Auckland and Clinical Director of the Hearing House, a charity that provides cochlear implants for people with hearing loss.

It was an ideal opportunity to come to New Zealand eight years ago, she says: “I’ve always felt like it was the perfect fit for me. It combines exactly what I love to do, which is work with cochlear implant technology and people who are deaf and hard of hearing. The opportunities for teaching and research were also very appealing.”

While there are some emerging vaccines, they are still being researched and currently no effective treatment for CMV exists. Hearing aids can be sufficient for children with mild to moderate hearing differences, but for those who are completely deaf, cochlear implants – small electronic devices surgically placed under the skin behind the ear – are the only option if developing spoken language is a goal for whānau.

Through her work at The Hearing House, Holly and a team of audiologists and speech and language therapists support families and their children who are deaf to understand and learn about CMV, its potential impacts, and how proactive interventions can support child development.

In 2020, they launched speciality care clinics with other child health specialists to address other developmental issues children were experiencing as a result of CMV, such as low coordination and motor skills, learning difficulties and attention deficit disorder.

With support from the Freemason’s Foundation, they brought in an educational psychologist, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, and developmental paediatrician and ran workshops to inform and assess children. This enabled them to provide strong management recommendations to whānau and allowed parents to connect. The clinic was highly successful and is something she hopes to continue in the future as resources allow.

Increasing awareness of CMV is another of Holly’s key focuses.

“Information is knowledge and knowledge is power,” she says. “In almost every situation, early intervention is the answer and awareness and prevention is where we have the most impact.”

Holly established a working group of clinicians, researchers, midwives, educators and parents interested in CMV which meets twice a year for forums featuring expert speakers and updates on new literature. She also helped to set up a CMV Aotearoa website hosted by the Eisdell Moore Centre and presents frequently on CMV at national and international conferences.

Additionally, her team at the University of Auckland is currently leading a project supported by the Eisdell Moore Centre and the Maurice and Phyllis Paykel Trust to establish a targeted CMV screening protocol to assess and share best-practice information in a culturally appropriate way. As part of this project they are examining testing pathways in three hospitals around Aotearoa to accommodate differences in resources and regional populations.

Holly is grateful to the Pindrop Foundation, the Maurice and Phyllis Paykel Trust, the Eisdell Moore Centre, and the Freemason’s Foundation for their philanthropic support of her work, which is helping to transform the lives of children living with CMV. She is excited to see a growing community of people interested in the virus and progress towards a nationwide management framework, which will enhance care for those affected.

“Working in a field where you see change and improvement constantly, and with young people especially, has been so fulfilling and compelling,” she says. “You can’t fix everyone’s challenges, but you can make a huge difference to the lives of those you can reach.”