Brussels, 02/12/2011 (Agence Europe) - Communication disorders in children can have a devastating effect on those children, on their families and on society, and it is for that reason that EU member sates must develop better tools for early detection, said Irish Health Minister James Reilly. He was speaking just before the EU Council adopted, on Friday 2 December, conclusions entitled: “early detection and treatment of communication disorders in children, including the use of e-health tools and innovative solutions”. Thus, the screening and monitoring of hearing troubles among children in particular must, for greater effectiveness, include the use of innovative tools such as online networks. Today, one child out of every five suffers from hearing problems, one out of three from vision disorders, and one out of four from speech-related difficulties. Measures to be adopted by the governments should be envisaged for children before they reach school age, Minister Reilly stressed. (JK/transl.jl)