When Is A Fever Too High For A Child?
Almost all parents have had to feel their child's warm, feverish forehead and felt anxious. You might be nervous in a similar way with questions like “Is it serious? How high is too high? Do we need to take them to the doctor?” We’ve answered some of these pressing questions for you below.
When it comes to fever, many paediatricians say that speedy medical treatment can often be crucial. On the other hand, in a majority of situations, fevers are not harmful or dangerous, and instead may even be beneficial for your child as they help to ward off infections naturally.
A vital factor is knowing when to take action and treat the fever, and when to let nature do its thing.
What Counts as a Fever?
A typical body temperature for a child can be anywhere between 97 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit, with the average falling around 98.6 degrees F. Thus, someone would have fever if their body temperature reaches or exceeds 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. If you're measuring your child's temperature with an oral thermometer, then anything above 99.5 degrees F should be considered a fever.
How High is Too High?
Fevers are rarely ever something to be scared of and are almost never dangerous, except for hyperthermia. This is when someone has a high body temperature because of their inability to cool down in an extremely hot atmosphere. In order to cause any significant harm to tissues, a fever must reach 107. This occurs in very rare cases.
Therefore, in the case that your child's temperature crosses 104, you should call the doctor. This does not necessarily mean there's any threat to your child, but in any case they should go for a check-up to assess if anything might be wrong.
Causes of Fever
Fever is a tell-tale sign indicating that the body is functioning properly to fight and defeat potential infections and diseases. By means of a chemical reaction, the body increases the core temperature in order to stop harmful bacteria and viruses from multiplying. Because bacteria and viruses usually only have the ability to grow and reproduce in optimal conditions, making their environment imperfect is a useful way of discontinuing them.
In children, viruses are the most frequent way that fevers occur. In fact, young children may even have up to 7 and 10 viral illnesses with fevers annually, particularly if they attend day care, preschool and other child-populated facilities. This is because children can catch and transfer viruses especially easily, making these easier to spread among kids. Bacteria, after viruses, are the second most common source of infection. Fevers can be caused by both kinds of infections, whether viral or bacterial.
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