EAR INFECTIONS PART II

By:  Sanjay Shah, M.D.

 Ear Infections are the most common cause for a visit to the pediatrician’s office.  Also antibiotics have been so commonly used that ear infections are becoming more and more resistant to antibiotics.

These facts make prevention a good strategy in the fight against ear infections.  Ear infections are caused when a small tube (Eustachian tube) connecting the middle ear and throat gets blocked and results in build up of fluid in the middle ear which then gets infected.   The predisposition to have repeated ear infections tend to run in families.

The following are strategies for prevention that can be used by parents and care givers:

1.   Breast feed instead of bottle feed your baby.  Breast milk has many infection fighting substances and antibodies which decrease the risk of frequent colds and ear infections.

2.   If you bottle feed, do not give your child his bottle while he is lying flat in the crib or play pen.

3.   Frequent hand washing may help prevent repeated ear infections.  Most of the common cold germs are passed around by your hands touching a contaminated surface such a door knob or table top.  If children in a group care setting are encouraged to wash their hands at least three times a day, it significantly reduces the number of infections. This also holds true at home when a cold passes from one family member to another so easily.  Not drinking after each other is also a good rule to integrate in your child early on in life.

4.   Day Care—If your child attends day care switching to a day care with fewer kids may also decrease the incidence of ear infections.

5.   Eliminating second hand tobacco smoke—tobacco smoke has 4,000 poisonous chemicals and can paralyze the bodies defenses against respiratory infections.  Children are exposed to most second hand at home, in the car, or at family gatherings during the holidays.

6.   Avoiding allergens—children with allergies who have a constant runny or stuffed up nose tend to have more ear infections.  Simple measures like frequently vacuuming your child’s bedroom, and the use of dust mite killer powder before vacuuming can help minimize allergy symptoms and ear infections.

7.   Finish those antibiotics!!  Completing the full course of antibiotics as prescribed is very important because if germs are exposed to lower levels or shorter duration of antibiotics they tend to become resistant.  We, at the Leitchfield Pediatric Clinic, P.S.C., are seeing more and more resistant ear infections.

8.   Ear infection vaccine—one of the bacteria which cause ear infections is commonly called pneumococcus.  This germ has become very resistant to antibiotics in the last few years. Pneumococcus  also causes pneumonia, meningitis and blood borne infections.  Recently, in early research studies, it was noticed that the vaccine against this germ not only protects against pneumonia, meningitis, and blood borne infections but also decreases the incidence of ear infections.  This vaccine has been recommended by ACIP (Advisory Council on Immunization Practices) to FDA for approval for childhood immunization by early next year.  This vaccine can only prevent some of the ear infections but will certainly reduce the use of antibiotics.