High rates of recurrent infection are a major risk to the health of Aboriginal children and are comparable to those of third world countries.
New data from volume one of the Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey has identified a strong association between financial strain in a family and higher rate of multiple infections in children.
Survey Steering Committee member and indigenous health researcher Heather D'Antoine said many of these infections had long term consequences.
"There's no doubt that ear infections are at epidemic rates with 18% of Aboriginal children suffering from recurrent problems.
"In fact, in children aged 0 - 4 years, the rate is four times higher than what the World Health Organisation classifies as a serious health problem - what we're seeing is really alarming and a massive public health issue.
"Of children with recurring ear infections, 69% have had at least one episode that's been so serious that it's ruptured the ear drum, and 30% of those have abnormal hearing.
"This has serious implications for language development and learning."
Ms D'Antoine said the problem was worse as isolation increased.
Overall infection rates were high:
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- 12% had recurring chest infections
- 8% had recurring skin infections such as school sores or scabies
- 6% have recurring gastrointestinal infections
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"These infections can have a big impact on the child's health and development. It's particularly distressing when we know many of these recurring infections are preventable with appropriate treatment and environmental measures."
Ms D'Antoine said that despite the greater rates of sickness, Aboriginal children in metropolitan areas visited doctors 10% less than the general population - in remote areas this figure is 20%.
"There is a real disparity here in access to medical services. While Aboriginal children have greater medical problems, the money spent on medical services for them is only 1.2 times the average. To make a real impact we estimate it needs to be three times the level."
Many of the adult chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, mental illness and kidney failure have their origins in childhood.
"Rather than the huge costs incurred in treating end-stage disease, it would be much more cost-effective and ethical to begin investing money in developing healthy children."
The report has also identified that asthma rates are linked to isolation. Asthma is four times less common in children living in extremely isolated localities in contrast to those in metropolitan Perth.
Aboriginal children in Perth have the same rates of asthma as the general community.