why children lose their hearing and what we can do 193
Ear infection
Ear infections are one of the most common childhood illnesses and
without treatment, they can cause permanent hearing loss. Ear infections
often start with an infection of the nose and throat. The infection travels
from the throat along the tube into the middle ear.
Children get these infections easily because the tube from
the throat to the ear is shorter than in adults. When the ear
is infected, the fluid and infection cannot drain out of the
middle ear. And if a child has a cold, the tube from the throat
that leads to the middle ear often gets blocked. As children
grow older and stronger, they develop more resistance and get
fewer colds and throat infections.
Sudden ear infections (acute)
Sudden middle-ear infection can occur at any age, and is common even in
babies and infants. The child may cry, be irritable, and have a fever. Often
the infection gets better in 1 or 2 days without any treatment. A painkiller
will help the child feel better but will not cure the infection. Sometimes
an antibiotic is needed to cure the infection (see page 195). The ear drum
may burst and pus leaks out through a small hole. This hole usually heals
quickly.
Long-lasting ear infections (chronic)
When children do not get treatment for repeated sudden ear infections,
the infection can become long-lasting. An ear infection is long-lasting if
pus drains from the ear and there is discharge for 14 days or more. This
can damage the ear drum. The ear drum may become pulled inward
or have a hole that does not heal. Both of these problems lead to more
infection with discharge.
Without proper and early medical care, children may lose their hearing,
suffer from dizziness, weakness on one side of the face, or an abscess
draining behind or below the ear. Rarely, an ear infection may also cause
a serious complication like a brain abscess or meningitis (see page 204).
More poor children lose their hearing because of ear
infections than any other cause. Hearing loss due to
ear infections can be prevented by improving general
health and living conditions, and by access to medical
care. Every community needs people trained to identify
ear infections early, or clinics or hospitals that are
affordable and easy to get to.
Helping Children Who Are Deaf (2004)