The burden and outcome of respiratory tract infection in Australian and Aboriginal children

The burden of otitis media in developing and disadvantaged populations is substantial. This article looks at that burden in developed affluent and indigenous populations (in Australia). A model is presented to explain the high prevalence of chronic suppurative otitis media in indigenous populations, and an assessment of efforts to improve these outcomes if not prevent these infections is provided. Lastly, various international guidelines for managing acute otitis media are compared. Copyright � 2007 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.