Flu—Ear Infections

Also called: Otitis media

Ear infections are the most common reason parents bring their child to a doctor. Three out of four children will have at least one ear infection by their third birthday. Adults can also get ear infections, but they are less common.

The infection usually affects the middle ear and is called otitis media. The tubes inside the ears become clogged with fluid and mucus. This can affect hearing, because sound cannot get through all that fluid.

If your child isn’t old enough to say “My ear hurts,” here are a few things to look for

• Tugging at ears
• Crying more than usual
• Fluid draining from the ear
• Trouble sleeping
• Balance difficulties
• Hearing problems

Your health care provider will diagnose an ear infection by looking inside the ear with an instrument called an otoscope.

Often, ear infections go away on their own. Your health care provider may recommend pain relievers. Severe infections and infections in young babies may require antibiotics.

Children who get infections often may need surgery to place small tubes inside their ears. The tubes relieve pressure in the ears so that the child can hear again.

NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

• Cholesteatoma (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Ear discharge (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Ear examination (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Ear infection – acute (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Ear infection – chronic (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Ear tube insertion (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Earache (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Otitis media with effusion (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Swimmer’s ear (Medical Encyclopedia)

Also called: Grippe, Influenza

Flu is a respiratory infection caused by a number of viruses. The viruses pass through the air and enter your body through your nose or mouth. Between 5% and 20% of people in the U.S. get the flu each year. The flu can be serious or even deadly for elderly people, newborn babies, and people with certain chronic illnesses.

Symptoms of the flu come on suddenly and are worse than those of the common cold. They may include

• Body or muscle aches
• Chills
• Cough
• Fever
• Headache
• Sore throat

Is it a cold or the flu? Colds rarely cause a fever or headaches. Flu almost never causes an upset stomach. And “stomach flu” isn’t really flu at all, but gastroenteritis.

Most people with the flu recover on their own without medical care. People with mild cases of the flu should stay home and avoid contact with others, except to get medical care. If you get the flu, your health care provider may prescribe medicine to help your body fight the infection and lessen symptoms.

The main way to keep from getting the flu is to get a yearly flu vaccine. Good hygiene, including hand washing, can also help.

NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

• College students and the flu (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Flu (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Flu (Influenza): Information for Parents (American Academy of Pediatrics) – PDF
• Flu (Influenza): Information for Parents (American Academy of Family Physicians) – PDF
• Flu (Influenza): Information for Parents (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) – PDF
• Pregnancy and the flu (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Your baby and the flu (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Your child and the flu (Medical Encyclopedia)