Why We Dread the Phrase "He's Burning Up!"

Ah, fever. The number one concern of parents everywhere. How in the world one sign of illness became such a cause of anxiety I have no idea. I suspect it was because, long ago, a fever was often a sign of a bacterial infection and without immunizations and antibiotics, death often accompanied such infections. But now, in the 21st century, that is not the case. Immunization has eliminated many of the serious bacterial infections so most fevers are from common viruses. Still, the anxiety remains for parents. What to do?
Well first, please take a deep breath. Realize, first and foremost, that FEVERS ARE NOT DANGEROUS. A fever is a sign. No more. No less. It is a sign that a child's body is dealing with some sort of problem. That problem is almost always a viral illness such as a "cold" or a stomach flu. The fever will not cause brain damage or damage of any other kind. As a parent, please consider your child as a whole person, not a number on a thermometer. If your child has a fever, look at other things: is he/she drinking fluids well? is he/she alert and talking? when the fever is down, is he/she playful? If so, your child is almost certainly fine. If not, then there is a problem, regardless of whether there is a fever or not. If your child is unresponsive or not "acting right", then give us a call.
The exception to the above guideline is children under 2 months old. In this age group, a temperature is more often a sign of a serious infection and there is often no other sign, so please give us a call.
So what is a fever? Well, we generally consider any temperature under 100F to be normal. At 100F or higher, we consider that a fever. These numbers reflect a rectal or oral temperature. Temperatures taken under the arm will tend to be a degree lower.
Should you treat a fever? Well, that depends, again, on how your child seems. If he/she is acting fine, then treatment is not necessary. If he/she seems cranky or uncomfortable, then by all means give some medicine to treat the fever. Dosing is available on our web site at http://www.preferredpediatrics.net/articles.aspx?category_id=42.
Remember that the medicine will take 30-45 minutes to take effect.
When should you call us? We generally recommend that if your child has had a fever for 3 days, then it's time to give us a call. That, of course, is assuming the child is otherwise doing well, as described above.
I cannot begin to tell you how many calls we get from parents about fever. It is easily half of all the calls we get after hours. In addition, many parents run to the emergency room because of the fever. This usually results in long waits, blood work, needles, x-rays, and other costly, painful items. And it's unnecessary because FEVERS ARE NOT DANGEROUS. Please don't fear the thermometer. And don't fear the fever. It's no different than a cough or runny nose or diarrhea. It's a sign. No more. No less.
Did I mention that FEVERS ARE NOT DANGEROUS?