Despite the fear associated with fever, it is often your child’s friend. It revs up the body’s immune system and activates it to fight off any viral or bacterial “invaders”. The ability to mount a fever has been shown to increase survival rates in animal species. So when your child has a fever, it means his or her body is doing its job.
Until as recently as 1868, there was no consensus on what was a normal body temperature or what was a fever, but now most pediatric experts agree a fever is a temperature equal to or greater than 38 degrees Celsius. Your child’s temperature depends on a number of factors, including how you take it. The closer we get to the core of the body, the more accurate it is. That’s why, when we measure the temperature of a baby, we often want to take the temperature from the bottom. For older kids, a temperature taken in the mouth or the bottom is much more accurate than a temperature taken under the armpit.
For infants under one month of age, even a really low-grade fever can signal a serious infection from a bacterium. Such infants need to be evaluated by a doctor immediately. As kids get older, pediatricians are less concerned about low-grade, fleeting fevers in otherwise healthy and vaccinated kids, but recommend an evaluation if the child has had a temperature for more than two-three days. We worry when the fever lasts several days without a good explanation, the child becomes dehydrated, is lethargic or not fully vaccinated.
Studies show that parents are concerned that fever can lead to brain damage, but brain damage has not been associated with high fever. Sometimes a really high fever can help us figure out if a child’s illness is from a virus or bacteria but that’s not true until the fever gets as high as 41. It also doesn’t matter if your giving medication to your child. These medications are for the child’s comfort but don’t help to fight off the virus or bacteria. If they don’t completely eliminate the fever, it doesn’t mean they aren’t working, just that they wore off like they are supposed to. Fever can be scary, but knowing what it does for the body is helpful. On average, kids will have four to six acute episodes of fever from birth to two years of age.
- The writer is Consultant Neonatologist & Pediatrician at Medeor 24x7 International Hospital, Al Ain
