BAGUIO CITY – The Ears, Nose and Throat (ENT) Department of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) declared that ear infection cases in the city are not alarming although there is a need for individuals suffering from ear infections to seek early medical attention to prevent complications in the future.
Dra. Mary Jane Lubos, Medical Specialist II of BGHMC’s ENT Department, said more than 50 percent of outpaients seeking assistance from them are children who are vulnerable to the infections and other complications in the ears because they can easily insert to their ears innocent-looking objects.
The BGHMC medical specialist claimed there has been a consistent number of patients that have sought medical assistance from them annually and there was no instance where there was a significant increase in the number of ear infection cases, thus, the situation can be considered as normal.
Last year, Lubos revealed there were 3,023 outpatient cases who sought their assistance for their ear infections while there were 400 cases that were given attention by the BGHMC emergency room for similar cases.
According to her, most of the ear infection cases being referred to them were infections in the outer and middle ears because of alleged infections caused by either internal or external factors.
Lubos claimed people experiencing discharges in their ears must not take the situation for granted, thus, they must immediately seek medical attention from their department so that their ears will be checked and proper medication could be provided.
For parents, she advised grown up individuals to make sure that innocent-looking things must be kept away from the reach of children because they could easily insert the said things to the holes on their bodies that could pose a serious threat to their hearing.
On the other hand, Lubos bared that they have reached over 80 percent in the conduct of new born screening, particularly on their hearing, to ensure that infants being born will have no hearing defects that might affect their growth and status in life.
Of the over 7,400 infants that were subjected to new born screening for their hearing, only 1.7 percent turned out to be referred cases whereby experts were able to find the necessary remedies to address the detected hearing problems of the babies.
She admitted the condition of the ear of individuals is not always the same, thus, there are appropriate ways on how to clean the excess wax in the ears to prevent complications that might affect their hearing conditions in the future.
Lubos invited individuals with hearing concerns to visit the BGHMC ENT department for them to be provided with various lectures on how to maintain the good condition of their ears to enjoy the benefits of having good hearing condition.
By Dexter A. See
