When a child catches the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), it can do more than just cause a cough. This common virus often leads to complications in the ears. Researchers found that about 27.7% of children with RSV infections also developed acute otitis media, which is a middle ear infection.
This study looked at children under two years old. The data shows that when these children do develop an ear infection involving RSV, they have a high chance of having a bacterial co-infection as well. Specifically, about 70.1% of those cases involved bacteria growing alongside the virus in the middle ear fluid.
Certain factors make this risk higher for some kids. Children between 3 and 12 months old are more likely to develop these ear infections. Other factors include a high viral load, having a fever, or a co-infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae. Because of differences in how various studies were conducted, the exact scale of these risks can vary.
