Every American parent knows what happens when a child gets an ear infection.
You go to the doctor, and you get antibiotics. But many of those antibiotics may be unnecessary. A study by Brown University researchers suggests that most patients may be served just as well by giving them eardrops for pain and letting the infection heal itself. And the study finds that parents are happy with the results. According to a compilation of research released in August 2000 by the same agency, more than 80 percent of children with uncomplicated acute otitis media recover within a week without antibiotics, and two-thirds recover in the first 24 hours.