Health Watch is a Public Service of the Office of News and Publications and is intended to provide general information only and should not replace the advice of a medical professional. You should contact your physician if you have questions about any of these topics.
At this time of year, children across the country are either returning to school or already back in school. This week on Healthwatch, we'll talk about some school day health topics. Even though it's time to be back in the classroom, in many parts of the country it still feels like summer. You don't want children's summer activities to interfere with school, though.
If children are still swimming, they could get swimmer's ear, an infection that occurs when harmful bacteria get a chance to grow in a damp ear canal.
Dr. Ravi Samy, an ear, nose and throat specialist at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, says you can prevent swimmer's ear - and possible days lost from school - by drying the ear canal using a hair dryer on low heat after swimming. Don't stick anything in the ear, not even a cotton swab, to try to remove water. Swimmer's ear usually clears up in a couple of days with antibiotics and eardrops to ease itching.
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September 2005
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