In Aberdeen, Health Care Providers with Avera St. Luke's have been treating a lot of cases of Acute External Otitis. You probably know it better as Swimmer's Ear.

For the kids who haven't started school yet, this is crunch time for them. They are trying to soak up as much summer fun as they can. Unfortunately, for a lot of kids in the Aberdeen area, that's leading to a lot of water soaked ear canals and a number of cases of swimmer's ear.

Certified Nurse Practitioner Cindy Pallesen at the Avera St. Luke's FastCare Clinic in Aberdeen says swimmer's ear is an infection of the ear canal and it's very common this time of year.

Pallesen says, "The biggest thing about swimmer's ear is prevention so you don't get it again.

The ear canal is a very very fine balanced area. It's nice and dark and warm in their anyway so when you add moisture you are creating the perfect medium for bacteria and fungus to grow."

Swimmer's ear is usually easily treated if you treat it promptly. Pallesen recommends an over-the-counter remedy called Swim-EAR. She says if you notice you have water in your ears after swimming and can't get it to drain use the drops which have alcohol in them and it will dry the water out.

The first signs of swimmer's ear will be itching, slight redness inside the ear, and some drainage of fluid. If not treated right away, the infection and pain will likely worsen. At that point it's best to see your doctor.

And that's what's going around this week in Aberdeen