Abuse of antibiotics for children’s ear infection rampant

Antibiotics are prescribed for children suffering from acute ear infection too rampantly in South Korea with the rate reaching 84.2 percent, a report showed Monday.

Of 7,610 medical facilities nationwide, more than eight out of 10 prescribed antibiotics for children suffering from the infection, the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service said. The rate, however, marked a slight annual decrease since 88.7 percent in 2012, although still high compared to other countries like the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway, which show between 41 to 76 percent. Of the surveyed hospitals and health centers, 1,547 prescribed antibiotics for ear infection 90 percent of the time.

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the world’s largest medical library, while a virus or bacteria can cause ear infections, antibiotics do not help viral infections.

Korea also revised relevant laws last year stating that prescription of antibiotics is only advised for those aged 24 months and under with confirmed diagnosis. In other cases, the doctors are advised to monitor symptoms such as pain and fever for two to three days.

But HIRA’s latest survey showed that 84.4 percent of the kids aged between two and seven and 82.5 percent of them between seven and 15 were prescribed antibiotics.

“As it is difficult to discern ear infection due to a virus to those from bacteria, parents who are worried about complications wish to use the antibiotics immediately. There needs to be cooperation from the medical professionals and change in perception among the citizens for appropriate use of antibiotics,” HIRA said.

It added that it would look into ways to revise the standards for using antibiotics, as abusing them could lead to antibiotics resistance and tolerance.

From news reports