Home Health Common childhood illnesses: Ear infection

Common childhood illnesses: Ear infection

No matter how careful you are as a parent, it is very normal for children to develop an ear infection. Even though all children will not develop an ear infection, there is one particular type of ear infection known as swimmer’s ear, medically known as otitis externa that is quite common in babies and young children.

What is swimmer’s ear or otitis externa?

This is a condition in which there is an infection in the skin that lines your child’s external ear canal. Initially, the infection can be caused by a small scratch on the skin’s surface, or even if the area around the ear canal is regularly damp. One of the main symptoms that your child may experience is pain in the ear. This will usually get worse if your child pulls at the ear. In some cases, when the infection is already quite developed, there can be pus and a strong foul smell.

Treatment

Depending on your child’s age and the severity of the ear infection, the doctor will suggest the following modes of treatment.

How to prevent

The most effective way to prevent a swimmer’s ear is to make sure that the area around the ear canal is always dry.

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