EAR INFECTIONS ARE very common in children under six. They usually start with a cold, which then turns into a pain in the ear as mucus builds up in the middle ear. There may be hearing loss and a discharge from the ear if the eardrum becomes perforated. Often ear infections, known clinically as acute otitis media, have been considered to be a bacterial disease - and antibiotics are a common treatment. However, new research published in the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal demonstrates that most ear infections are caused by both bacteria and viruses, and antibiotics will only be partially successful in treating the problem, as they are not an effective treatment against viruses. In studies of 79 children with ear infections, bacteria was present in 92 per cent of cases, viruses in 70 per cent, and both bacteria and viruses in 66 per cent. "The major finding of the study is that acute otitis media is a co-infection of bacteria and viruses in the majority of children. This is actually logical since acute otitis media is virtually always connected to viral respiratory infection," explains Dr Aino Ruohola.

Other research shows that four out of five ear infections improve in two to three days without any antibiotics. Paracetamol and ibuprofen can be given to relieve pain and accompanying fever.