The CVS MinuteClinic in York reports allergies and allergy-related asthma this week. They are still seeing several patients with strep throat and viral upper respiratory infections. They also saw a handful of COVID cases.
WellSpan Pediatric Medicine Physicians across the Midstate are seeing strep throat, allergies, eczema and viral infections that did not test positive for COVID or the flu.
Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health Physicians Roseville Pediatrics reports a lot of environmental allergy symptoms this week. They also saw ultiple viral illnesses causing sore throats and nasal congestion.
They are seeing a lot of ear infections and moderate cases of strep throat, although numbers were down from previous weeks.
Rashes are on the rise, including eczema flares and ringworm.
Dr. Joan Thode offered the following advice about ear infections:
"Unlike viruses and flu, which are caused by germs we catch from other people, ear infections are actually infections by the bacteria that normally lives inside our body cavities. These bacteria keep to themselves, as they live in their specific piece of real estate along the walls of these spaces. When the inflammation of the nasal and throat tissues swells with the immune response to a virus, the drainage from the inner ears is obstructed. This causes mucous and fluid to back up in these cavities, which offers some additional "real estate" for our native bacteria.
The inner ears produce fluid as part of their function of hearing. This fluid moves down the inner ear, then drains out tubes at the bottom of the inner ear area into the throat. While bacteria can't grow on the moving fluid within the inner ear, the bacteria can grow on stagnant fluid. Now we have an ear infection.
The immune system does not tolerate these types of bacterial overgrowths. The pain from an ear infection comes from the combination of extra fluid, extra bacteria and lots of immune cells taking up a lot of extra space and thus pushing against the eardrum from the inside. The eardrum will bulge as a result, which stretches the nerve that runs across the surface of the ear, causing it to register pain.
The good news is that the immune system can totally handle the infection and kill off the overgrowth of bacteria. Additionally, as soon as the virus clears, the outflow tubes reopen and drain all of that bacteria-laden fluid from the inner ear. Antibiotics are not needed to clear an ear infection in most cases. They are indicated only in babies younger than 9 months, or in cases where the infection is not clearing in the expected amount of time. The antibiotics do not immediately cure the infection but rather help the immune system clear it a day or two faster than it otherwise would. Our goal as clinicians is to relieve the pain, which is best accomplished with ibuprofen. Please note that ibuprofen can only safely be given to babies over six months of age."
0 Commentaires