A fever is a temporary increase in your body temperature, often due to an illness. Having a fever is a sign that something out of the ordinary is going on in your body. It can be due to hundreds of causes but the common causes are;
Your child has fever if
Myth: All fevers are bad for children.
Fact: Fevers turn on the body's immune system. They help the body fight infection. Normal fevers between 100° and 104° F (37.8° - 40° C) are good for sick children.
Myth: Fevers above 104° F (40° C) are dangerous. They can cause brain damage.
Fact: Fevers with infections don't cause brain damage. Only temperatures above 108° F (42° C) can cause brain damage. It's very rare for the body temperature to climb this high. It only happens if the air temperature is very high( heat stroke, example is a child left in a closed car during hot weather.)
Myth: Anyone can have a seizure triggered by fever.
Fact: Only 4% of children can have a seizure with fever.
Myth: Seizures with fever are harmful.
Fact: These seizures are scary to watch, but they stop within 5 minutes. They don't cause any permanent harm. They don't increase the risk for speech delays, learning problems, or seizures without fever.
Myth: All fevers need to be treated with fever medicine.
Fact: Fevers only need to be treated if they cause discomfort (makes your child feel bad). Most fevers don't cause discomfort until they go above 102° or 103° F (39° or 39.5° C).
Myth: Without treatment, fevers will keep going higher.
Fact: Wrong, because the brain knows when the body is too hot. Most fevers from infection don't go above 103° or 104° F (39.5°- 40° C). They rarely go to 105° or 106° F (40.6° or 41.1° C). While these are "high" fevers, they also are harmless ones.
Myth: With treatment, fevers should come down to normal.
Fact: With treatment, most fevers come down 2° or 3° F (1° or 1.5° C).
Myth: If you can't "break the fever", the cause is serious.
Fact: Fevers that don't come down to normal can be caused by viruses or bacteria. The response to fever medicines tells us nothing about the cause of the infection.
Myth: Once the fever comes down with medicines, it should stay down.
Fact: It's normal for fevers with most viral infections to last for 2 or 3 days. When the fever medicine wears off, the fever will come back. It may need to be treated again. The fever will go away and not return once the body overpowers the virus. Most often, this is day 3 or 4.
Myth: If the fever is high, the cause is serious.
Fact: If the fever is high, the cause may or may not be serious. If your child looks very sick, the cause is more likely to be serious.
Myth: The exact number of the temperature is very important.
Fact: How your child looks and acts is what's important. The exact temperature number is not.
Myth: Oral temperatures between 98.7° and 100° F (37.1° to 37.8° C) are low-grade fevers.
Fact: These temperatures are normal. The body's normal temperature changes throughout the day. It peaks in the late afternoon and evening. A true low-grade fever is 100° F to 102° F (37.8° - 39° C) .
Not moving or too weak to stand
Can't wake up
Trouble breathing with bluish lips or face
Purple or blood-colored spots or dots on skin
You think your child has a life-threatening emergency
Trouble breathing
Great trouble swallowing fluids or spit
Not alert when awake ("out of it")
Acts or talks confused
Age less than 12 weeks old with any fever. Caution: do NOT give your baby any fever medicine before being seen.
Fever over 104° F (40° C)
Shaking chills (shivering) lasting more than 30 minutes
Nonstop crying or cries when touched or moved
Won't move an arm or leg normally
Dehydration suspected. No urine in more than 8 hours, dark urine, very dry mouth and no tears.
Pain or burning when passing urine
If the child has fever and has any of the following diseases; sickle cell disease, HIV, cancer, organ transplant or taking oral steroids.