Ear disease is seriousand can cause loss of

hearing forever

Strong hearing, strong start.• Weallwantkidstohaveastrongstarttolife.• Whenkids’earsarehealthy,theirhearingisstrong.• Withstronghearingfrombirth,kids’brainscan

developproperly.• Kidsarenotbornwithearinfectionsbuttheycanget

anearinfectionsoonafterbirth.

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With healthy ears, kids can:• learnlanguageandtalking;• listentofamilystories;• listentomusic;• talkwithfamilyandfriends;• begoodatschool;• feelgoodaboutthemselves;and• getajoblaterinlife.

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Keep kids’ ears healthy by:gettingyourkids’earscheckedregularlybyahealthworker,nurseordoctorandfollowingtheiradviceabouttreatments;knowingthesignsofearinfection;andknowinghowtopreventeardisease.

when the ear tube gets blocked, fluid can build up in the ear

ear tube

What is ear disease?• Earsareconnectedtothenosebyatube.• Ifyournosehasacold,yourearscangetsicktoo.• Sometimeskids’earsgetblockedfrommucus

(fromacold)orswelling.• Ifearsareblocked,aircan’tgetinandfluidcan’tdrain

outoftheear.• Leftuntreated,theeardrumcanburstandleaveahole.• Eardiseasecancauselossofhearingforever.

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Symptoms of ear disease

signs of a cold(coughing, sore throat, runny nose)

fever

pain in the ear

runny fluid or pus from ear

kids pulling ears

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Symptoms of ear disease

Don’t forget kids can have ear disease with none of these symptoms.

can’t hear properly

not eating

diarrhoea or vomiting

You can ask your health worker, nurse or doctor for an ear check at each visit. It’s important to follow their advice about treatments.

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How to prevent ear diseaseDo:

Getyourkids’earscheckedregularly.Keepkidsclean(washhandsandfacesregularly).Eathealthyfood.Makesurekidsgetalltheirvaccinations.Getkidstoblowtheirnoseandputtissuesinthebin.Breastfeed-ithelpsfightinfections.

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If your kids have ear disease, check with your health worker, nurse or doctor before they go swimming.

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How to prevent ear diseaseDon’t:

Smoke-yoursmokeisbadforkidstoo.Stickanythinginyourkids’ears,unlessrecommendedbyyourhealthworker,

nurseordoctor.

Loss of hearing is hard for parents and kidsWhenkidshavehearingloss,itcanbehardbecause:

• Babiesandkidsmightnotheartheirnamewhencalled.• Kidsmightbeindangeriftheycan’thearthecarson

theroad.• Kidsmighthavedifficultylearninglanguageandtalking.• Kidsmightfeellikenooneunderstandsthem.

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Ear disease can be prevented and treated• Eardiseasecanbepreventedandtreatedbygetting

yourkids’earscheckedbyahealthworker,nurseordoctorateachvisitandfollowingtheiradviceabouttreatments.

• Getkids’earschecked,eveniftheyseemokay.Theycouldbesickwithnosymptoms.

• Treatmentforeardiseasemayincludemedicineor,insomecases,anoperation.

• Ifyouaregivenmedicine,itisimportanttotakethefullamountadvisedbyyourhealthworker.

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D0743

Jan

uary2013

AllinformationinthispublicationiscorrectasofJanuary2013

For more details, please visitwww.careforkidsears.health.gov.au

Ear disease can be prevented and treated.

CareforKids’EarsresourcesarebasedontheRecommendationsforClinicalCareGuidelinesontheManagementofOtitisMediainAboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderPopulations(updated2010),preparedbytheDarwinOtitisGuidelinesGroupincollaborationwiththeOfficeforAboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderHealth(OATSIH)OtitisMediaTechnicalAdvisoryGroup,forOATSIH,AustralianGovernmentDepartmentofHealthandAgeing,Canberra,ACT.

ISBN:978-1-74241-607-6OnlineISBN:978-1-74241-608-3PublicationsApprovalNumber:D0743

©CommonwealthofAustralia2013

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