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Otitis media (OM), or middle ear infection, is one of the most common childhood illnesses globally. In Australia, OM remains a leading cause of antibiotic prescriptions in children, despite growing awareness of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the need for stewardship. Preventing OM not only reduces the burden of disease but also plays a critical role in curbing unnecessary antibiotic use and slowing the rise of AMR.

Two projects led by The Kids Research Institute Australia have been awarded more than $2.5 million to fund innovative ideas focused, respectively, on combating persistent ear infections and investigating how dangerous fungi invade the bodies of immunocompromised people.

Peter Ruth Elke Richmond Thornton Seppanen MBBS MRCP(UK) FRACP PhD BSc PhD Head, Vaccine Trials Group Co-head, Bacterial Respiratory Infectious

Ruth Elke Peter Thornton Seppanen Richmond PhD BSc PhD MBBS MRCP(UK) FRACP Co-head, Bacterial Respiratory Infectious Disease Group (BRIDG) Program

Check out our top tips for travelling with an ear infection so that the kids can fly safely and hit the pool in no time.

Middle ear infections are one of the main reasons that children visit a GP, are prescribed antibiotics and need surgery. Aboriginal children are particularly susceptible and commonly suffer from hearing loss which can affect speech and learning.

Wait times for Aboriginal children suffering ear infections could be reduced to less than four weeks thanks to a new The Kids Research Institute Australia research project

Congratulations to four outstanding early-career researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia, who have been awarded BrightSpark Foundation fellowships and project funding for 2026.

Otitis media with effusion (OME) affects hearing, speech development, and quality of life (QoL) in children. The 'Blow, Breathe, Cough' (BBC) intervention promotes nasal, respiratory, and middle ear clearance through nose blowing, deep breathing, coughing, and hand hygiene. It shows promise in resolving OME but lacks randomized-controlled trial (RCT) evaluation. This paper presents a RCT protocol evaluating BBC's effect on OME resolution, hearing, speech, and QoL in children aged two to seven years.

Otitis media (OM) is the leading cause of childhood hearing loss but its burden in low-middle-income countries like Papua New Guinea (PNG) is poorly understood. We aimed to determine the proportion of children aged ≤15 years attending clinics in Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province, PNG with OM and associated risk factors.