HEALTHY LIVING Ear infections: What you ought to know

Ear infections are an absolute nightmare. There are a variety of issues that can affect your ear. However, the most common is an infection which causes inflammation and great pain. The main reason behind ear infection is often bacteria or virus. It usually enters the ear when one is more vulnerable such as when the person is suffering from cold, flu and the like. The infection then spreads to the middle ear. Another common cause is when water is trapped in the ear with bacteria, it causes infection also. Such instances occur when swimming in dirty water or when water becomes trapped perhaps after a shower and foreign bodies enter the ear with bacteria. Dr. Amadi Ikechukwu of the Federal Medical Centre said the symptoms that follow ear infection included redness, constant itching, pus discharge, flaking of the skin around the ear, pain and sometimes, dizziness and loss of hearing. He added that it was best to visit a doctor when you had an ear infection as they were in the best position to examine and administer treatment. Antibiotics are mostly administered to fight the infection and perhaps serve as painkillers too to reduce the pain and fever accompanied by the ear infection. But of course, prevention is always better than cure. So, in order to avoid ear infection, it is best to take certain measures to prevent it by simply keeping your ears clean and dry, avoid swimming in dirty water and also don’t insert objects into your ears, but rather, use clean cotton buds at all times. Sticking to this can lower your chances of getting ear infection. With additional information from the internet