Flu vaccine and ear infections in children

For many children, flu season means an increased risk of ear infections as well.
 
Although many people do not realise it, the middle ear has a direct link to the upper respiratory tract: the auditory, or eustachian, tube. Infections in the nose or sinus cavities thus can spread to the ear.
 
Ear infections are a common scourge of childhood. Most children under the age of 8 will have at least one, and over a quarter will experience them chronically.
 
Although ear infections can strike at any time, they do show some seasonal variation. In a large study published in December, researchers looked at more than 270,000 cases of acute ear infections. They found that ear infections increased along with the flu and illnesses caused by two other respiratory viruses (though not the common cold).
 
So does that mean that vaccinating against the flu might prevent ear infections in children? Some researchers think so.
 
In a report published in 2011, scientists pooled data from eight randomised studies of 24,000 children between the ages of 6 months and 7 years. They found that those who received the FluMist vaccine, a nasal spray made with live but weakened flu virus, had a significantly lower risk of acute ear infections compared with children who received a placebo. Among children who ultimately got the flu, those who had been vaccinated had a 40 percent reduction in ear infections compared with children who were given a placebo.
 
A study published last year also found that the flu vaccine reduced the incidence of acute ear infections in children. FluMist appears to be more effective than the shot, but scientists say more research is needed.
 
The flu vaccine appears to reduce the likelihood of ear infections in children.

-- Punch

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