Dos and don’ts for treating your child’s fever
DOROTHY ROBINSON/METRO

According to Charles I. Shubin, M.D., we have a condition in the U.S. that he calls a “fever phobia.” “We are scared of fevers,” says the Medical Director of Children’s Health Center, Mercy Family Care (a subsidiary of Family Health Centers of Baltimore). “We’re worried that if we don’t treat a child’s fever, something bad will happen.” But as Dr. Shubin carefully points out, treating a fever doesn’t mean dosing a child with medicine. The best approach is to figure out what is going on with the child in the first place. From there, most of the time, it’s best to just let it run its course. Here’s how:

Understand what a fever is. “A fever not a disease; it’s your body’s best mechanism to respond and defend itself to infection,” says Dr. Shubin. “You can’t ‘cure’ a fever, but you can try to cure what is happening to them.”

Look at the child. “We had three kids in the office today with fevers who were running around like nothing was wrong,” recounts Dr. Shubin. “So why would we interfere with the body’s natural response system?” Dr. Shubin says that the underlying principle for most doctors it to treat the child. If the child is miserable, treat him with an over-the-counter fever reducer. “Just know that if you do, it might make the child sick for longer.”

Keep your child hydrated. “Although most fevers are harmless, your child can become dehydrated. Keeping them hydrated will make them feel better.”

If your child is less than 2 months of age, take him or her to a hospital. A fever in a child this age is very concerning. “These children need to be seen right away as they might not be old enough to fight off infection,” he says. Another concern that warrants a trip to the hospital is if the child is becoming unresponsive.

Still worried? Call your pediatrician. “Doctors and their staffs have protocols to dispense advice over the phone. We can usually tell what is going on for peace of mind.”

NEW YORK

###

Mercy Medical Center’s media relations department is staffed with dedicated professionals to meet the needs of television, radio, print, trade, and web publications. Members of the media are encouraged to contact Dan Collins at dcollins@mdmercy.com — 410-332-9714 or Kevin Parks at kparks@mdmercy.com — 410-332-9420.

Mercy Medical Center is a 138-year-old, university affiliated medical facility named one of the top 100 hospitals in the nation, among 10 best centers for women’s health, and for the past three years, named to U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Hospitals” edition. Mercy is home to the nationally acclaimed Weinberg Center for Women’s Health and Medicine and now the new $400+ million, 20-story Mary Catherine Bunting Center. For more information, visit Mercy online at www.mdmercy.com or call 1-800-M.D.-Mercy.

The new guidelines have been issued in the US, but they relate to the practice here among many parents of dosing a child up with paracetamol or ibuprofen at the slightest sign of a temperature.

The American Academy of Pediatrics urges parents to recognise fever as a sign that the body is working to fight infection and not something to be feared. Instead, it says, many parents administer medications – known as antipyretics – even when there is minimal or no fever out of concern that their child should maintain a ‘normal’ temperature.

‘Combination therapy’

The advice also warns of the potential dangers of giving alternate doses of paracetamol and ibuprofen to a child, because of the risks of inaccurate dosing or overdosing.

The advice in the US is that parents should rethink their attitude to fever. It says that fever retards the growth and reproduction of bacteria and viruses. Yet, the clinical report says that, “Approximately one half of parents consider a temperature of less than 38°C (100.4°F) to be a fever, and 25% of caregivers would give antipyretics for temperatures of less than 37.8°C (100°F).”

Incorrect doses

It also says that a half of parents administer incorrect doses of antipyretics, while approximately 15% give overdoses of paracetamol or ibuprofen.

The new advice in the US is that the main goal for treating fever in children should be to keep them comfortable while watching for any signs of serious illness, rather than focusing on keeping their temperature within a ’normal’ range.

Dr Clare Gerada, Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, commented: “In my experience of 20 years as a GP, parents are usually pretty careful. I think the most important thing to be worried about is keeping medicines out of the reach of children.”

Read more here.