A nurse is providing family planning counselling. Which action is most appropriate?

A. Infants with congenital deformities have an increased risk for ear infections: Certain congenital anomalies, such as cleft palate or Down syndrome, can predispose children to recurrent otitis media due to structural or functional impairments of the eustachian tube. While this is clinically relevant, it applies to a specific subset of infants rather than the general mechanism of infection in all children.

B. Ear infections typically increase as the child gets older: The incidence of otitis media actually decreases with age as the child’s immune system matures and the eustachian tube elongates and becomes more vertical, improving drainage. Older children generally have fewer episodes of middle ear infections compared with infants and toddlers.

C. The shorter and wider eustachian tubes of an infant increase the risk: Infants have eustachian tubes that are shorter, wider, and more horizontal than in older children and adults, which allows bacteria and secretions from the nasopharynx to enter the middle ear more easily. This anatomical factor, combined with immature immune responses, significantly contributes to the high incidence of otitis media in infants.

D. Adenoids shrink as the child grows, allowing more bacteria to enter: Adenoids actually tend to hypertrophy in early childhood and regress after age 5–7 years. Enlarged adenoids can contribute to eustachian tube obstruction and recurrent infections, so their shrinkage does not increase bacterial entry; instead, adenoid regression typically reduces infection risk.

A. Penicillin: Penicillin is effective against bacterial infections such as syphilis and streptococcal infections, but it has no activity against viral infections like herpes simplex virus.

B. Tetracycline: Tetracyclines are broad-spectrum antibiotics used to treat bacterial infections, including acne and certain sexually transmitted infections, but they are not effective for viral infections such as herpes.

C. Ceftriaxone: Ceftriaxone is a cephalosporin antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections including gonorrhea. It has no effect on viral replication and cannot treat herpes infections.

D. Acyclovir: Acyclovir is an antiviral medication that inhibits herpes simplex virus replication. It is the first-line treatment for both initial and recurrent herpes infections, reducing severity, duration, and frequency of outbreaks.