Ear Infections – Predicting Them! Preventing Them?

Routinely giving the pneumococcal vaccine to women may enable them to produce the antibodies that can protect their children from ear infections.

No one has fun when babies’ ears are in pain. Testing a baby’s cord blood for levels of maternal antibodies to pneumococcal bacteria can predict the frequency of ear infections.

Ear Infections - Predicting Them! Preventing Them?

Information presented at the May 2000 American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology meeting in Orlando, Florida indicates that low levels of antibodies mean a higher incidence of ear infection.

Perhaps routinely giving the pneumococcal vaccine to women will enable them to produce the antibodies that can protect their children. This may prove to be even more effective at preventing ear infections than giving it to babies and depending on their immature immune systems to create the antibodies over time.

Updated: January 11, 2017

Dr. Greene is a practicing physician, author, national and international TEDx speaker, and global health advocate. He is a graduate of Princeton University and University of California San Francisco.

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  1. Lisa

    Both of my kids went through it. The older one had them until he was three. Apparently three was the magacil age-he hasn’t had one since. Now he’s had OTHER things (including being hospiitalized for vomiting/dehydration for a week-his birthday week!) The Princess had terrible recurrent ear infections up until this past Spring. We were one infection away from the dreaded tubes, when she just stopped having them. Hopefully we’re done with all of that! ;-P

    Added:

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