When you have a child in the house, especially if it’s your first
child, most parents are at a loss on when to relax and when to rush to
the hospital when something happens.
There are medical clinics that offer various medical services and procedures. These include pediatric services that
are offered in Salem and other cities. Some of the pediatricians have
given some tips on how to handle a fever, and advise when medical
intervention is necessary.
When to rush to the hospital or see a pediatrician
Here are the conditions where pediatricians advise parents to proceed to the nearest medical practitioner:
- If your child’s temperature reaches above 100.4 F or 38.1 C, proceed to the hospital when your child is newborn or still under two to three months old
- For the infants three to six months old, the temperature to watch is 101 F or 38.3 C.
- For children six to twelve months old, the temperature to watch is 103 F or 39.4 C.
For
children over one year old, the panic point is above 103 F or 39.4 C.
You can monitor the fever and go to the hospital if it does not improve
with medicinal treatment and administered home remedies, the fever lasts
for over 24 hours (applicable to children 2 years and below) and 72
hours (applicable for over 2 years).
If the temperature
reaches above 104 F or 40 C, you must bring the child to the medical
center, no matter what age. That is why the pediatricians highly
recommended keeping a thermometer in the house. That is the basis for
the crucial decision of bringing a child to the hospital.
For other conditions, the pediatricians do not have very strict guidelines on how to handle the fever. Specifically for the older infants and children, they only have general tips.
- The fever is only a symptom of a child’s body resisting infection or other conditions. The high fever is not necessarily an indication of the real condition of the child. That said, it should not necessarily mean you should panic.
- Children have different reactions to fever. There are children who have 105 F fevers but are still able to stand up and play around the house. On the other hand, there are children with a 99 F fever and lay on the band shivering like a sick puppy. It is better to check on how the child reacts. Thermometers do have a margin for error.
- Fever is not the only symptom to watch out for. Do not assume the child is safe if he/she does not have a fever. If the child is irritable and weak, does not engage in activities that they usually enjoy, and has trouble sleeping, a call or visit to the pediatrician should be considered.
- If your child has a chronic medical condition or is undergoing chemotherapy or similar special treatments, a fever is already an emergency. You will need to take the child to a medical professional.
- If the child has a cold with cough or runny nose, it can be assumed that the fever is caused by the virus. In this case, it may be permissible to wait it out and stick to home remedies. It would be scarier if there were no suspect causes for the fever. Nevertheless, if the condition does not improve in two days, it is best to check with the pediatrician.
A
fever is a sign of possible intrusion in the child’s immune system. The
guidelines here can help determine whether the parents should stay calm
or react immediately.
A
fever is a sign of possible intrusion in the child’s immune system. The
guidelines here can help determine whether the parents should stay calm
or react immediately.
