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Wall Street Journal

One Cheer for RFK Jr.'s ‘MAHA Commission'

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Make America Healthy Again Commission are to be commended for long overdue common-sense recommendations in their recent report, but they do a disservice to countless families by stating that tympanostomy tubes for recurrent ear infections 'did not reduce infections in trials' ('RFK to Call for Study of Child Vaccines,' U.S. News, May 22). As the first author of the tympanostomy-tube literature cited within that section of the report, I can unequivocally state that the commission's interpretation is untrue. What is true is that putting ventilation tubes in the eardrums of children with frequent ear infections and persistent middle-ear fluid behind the eardrum is a proven and effective way to reduce the frequency of ear infections and attendant antibiotic consumption. When there is no fluid build-up behind the eardrum, however, tubes aren't recommended for frequent ear infections unless they continue to recur despite watchful waiting.