Otitis media in Aboriginal children: tackling a major health problem

[Extract] Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) (see Box) is very uncommon in First World countries and is best regarded as a disease of poverty. The World Health Organization has indicated that a prevalence rate of CSOM greater than 4% in a defined population of children is indicative of a massive public health problem requiring urgent attention.¹ That CSOM affects up to ten times this proportion of children in many Aboriginal communities is an indictment of the poor living conditions in these communities.² The associated hearing loss has a life-long impact, as it occurs during speech and language development and the early school years.