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How to fight your child's fever

If your child has a fever, it's natural to feel worried. Find out what you can do to make him or her more comfortable, and how you know when it's time to call the doctor

Fever is, by and large, the most common concern of patients who visit a doctor's surgery. It is not a disease and usually is not harmful. In fact, it's one of the body's defence mechanisms designed to fight off infections. So think of fever as helpful, not harmful, and you will be less anxious when your child has a febrile illness. Here's what you should do when your child has a fever:

• First rule: only treat a fever if the child looks or feels ill. Many viruses cause high fevers that are not bothersome. In such cases, just let the body do its work.
• No studies demonstrate that treatment of fever decreases the incidence of febrile (high-temperature) seizures/fits. However if your child is lethargic, listless or irritable, treatment is suggested.
• Standard medical treatment includes fever reducers such as paracetamol/panadol or Calpol every four hours, or ibuprofen every six hours. The dosage of this depends on the child's weight and not on his or her age, and it is not recommended if your child's weight is below 7kg. Although these medicines are available over-the-counter, if they're not used properly, serious side effects can occur, such as gastrointestinal bleeding or liver toxicity. So it's usually best to consult a doctor if you are unsure about the dosage, or even whether to use it at all.
• If the fever is very high - higher than 105°F/41°C - sponging with tepid (not cold) water will help lower it. However, when sponging is used as the only treatment, the body temperature quickly returns to its previous level. Using an electric fan also helps to reduce the temperature. Thus the combination of sponging and antipyretics therapy may result in more rapid fever reduction than if either treatment were used by itself.
• If you've tried these methods and your child still appears to be very sick, or if the fever has persisted, then contact with your doctor is definitely in order.

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