Costs of Otitis Media?

To the Editor.

In a recent publication, Carabin and colleagues attempted to estimate the direct and indirect costs of infectious diseases attributable to day care attendance among Canadian toddlers.¹ Although the researchers provided a thorough analysis of the expenses incurred by the parents of sick children, their estimates are ultimately limited by one major omission. Otitis media (OM) is a common illness among Canadian children, and the incidence of the disease is on the rise.² OM is also a common reason for visits to physicians' offices, the consumption of antibiotics and over-the-counter medicines, as well as minor surgical interventions such as myringotomy with tympanotomy …