Search results
A normal temperature in babies and children can vary slightly from child to child. A high temperature is 38C or more. If your child has a high temperature, they might: feel hotter than usual when you touch their back or chest. feel sweaty. look or feel unwell. have a seizure or fit, called a febrile seizure. Use a digital thermometer, which you ...
- Symptoms of Fever in Children
- How to Measure A Child's Temperature
- When Should You Go to The Doctor?
- Why Do Children Get Fevers?
- Causes of Fever in Children
- How Common Is Fever in Children?
- How Is The Cause of Fever in Children Diagnosed?
- What Further Tests Are Possible?
- What to Do If A Child Has A Fever/High temperature?
- How to Manage A Fever
Typical symptoms of fever in children are: 1. A raised body temperature, measuring 38°C or higher. 2. Feeling hot to touch. 3. Feeling cold and shivery. 4. Looking pale. 5. Headache. 6. Tummy ache. 7. Red or flushed skin. 8. Feeling sick. The actual level of the temperature in fever is not a good guide to how severely ill a child is once they are o...
Forehead strip thermometers are not very accurate. Ideally you should use one of the following to measure your child's temperature: 1. Under 4 weeks old, with an electronic thermometer in the armpit. 2. Between 4 weeks and 5 years old:
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced guidelines aimed to help healthcare professionals assess children with fever. These can also be useful to parents. They look at the symptoms seen in children with fever and allocate them to categories of 'green', 'amber' and 'red'. They are shown in the table below. Green sym...
The most common causes of fever in children in the UK are viral infections - the fever helps to fight infection. There are many other uncommon causes. Our normal body temperature is around 37°C. Our temperature can go up and down a little, around this figure, during the day. Children's temperatures can easily rise slightly with things like hot bath...
The most common causes of fever in children in the UK are viral infections. There are many other uncommon causes. Some of these will show other obvious signs: 1. Infections with germs called viruses are the most common cause. Viral infections cause many common illnesses such as colds, coughs, flu, diarrhoea, etc. Sometimes viral infections cause mo...
Fever and feverish illness are very common in young children, particularly in those aged less than 5 years, and it can be really worrying for parents. It's not always easy to judge how sick your child is, or whether you should ask for medical help. Three to four out of every 10 parents of children aged less than 5 years say their child has had a fe...
If your child has no 'amber' or 'red' warning signs, and they have other symptoms such as runny nose or sneezing suggesting a simple viral infection, their temperature will usually come down fairly quickly. In these cases, you can usually assume they have a simple cold. If you telephone your GP or out of hours service, the healthcare professional w...
Often, the healthcare professional who assesses your child will decide that no further tests are necessary. This is usually because there are no worrying signs in your child's condition and your doctor or nurse feels able to diagnose the infection, based on their training and experience. Occasionally, however, they are uncertain. 1. This may be bec...
You do not need to use paracetamol and ibuprofen if your child is comfortable and not distressed by the fever, aches or pains. A child with a fever may look flushed and irritable and they may not feel like doing very much. 1. Make your child comfortable - details below. 2. Check for signs of lack of fluid in the body (dehydration). 3. Check for sig...
The important things are to try to keep your child calm, reassured and comfortable. 1. Give lots to drink. This helps to prevent a lack of fluid in the body (dehydration). You might find that a child is more willing to have a drink if they are not so irritable. So, if they are not keen to drink, it may help to give some paracetamol first. Then, try...
People also ask
What causes a fever in a child?
What happens if a child has a fever?
What should I do if my child has a fever?
Your child: is under 3 months and has a temperature of 38°C (101°F) or above. is over 3 months and has a temperature of 39°C (102°F) or above. has other signs of illness, such as a rash, as well as a high temperature. has a high temperature that’s lasted for 5 days or more. has persistent vomiting.
Most fevers in children are caused by viral infections, and some are caused by bacterial infections. These can include coughs, colds, flu and other viral infections, and throat, ear, chest and urine infections. Less often, a fever can be a sign of a serious illness such as meningitis or sepsis. Children can also develop a fever as a symptom of ...
- When should I be concerned about my child’s fever?A high fever in children will normally get better on its own as your child fights off an infection. While they recover you can do some things to ke...
- What temperature is too high for a child?A child is considered to have a fever if their temperature is 38°C (100.4°F) or higher. The normal body temperature of children can vary and can go...
- Should I let my child sleep with a fever?Yes, you can let your child go to sleep but do check on them regularly during the night. If you’re at all concerned, contact your GP surgery or cal...
- How can I tell if my child is dehydrated?Your child or baby may look generally unwell if they’re dehydrated. They may pee less and have sunken eyes too. If they cry, they won’t produce any...
- Could my child have a fever after being immunised?Yes, immunisation can sometimes cause a mild fever. Some vaccines – for example, tetanus – can cause a fever within a few hours. Others, such as th...
- What should I do if my child has a febrile seizure?Febrile seizures (fits caused by a high temperature) can be very frightening but try to stay calm. Use your hands or a cushion to protect your chil...
Feb 27, 2020 · Introduction. Children with fever account for 14% of emergency department (ED) attendances in England. 1 2 Though most display signs and symptoms suggestive of specific infections; in ~20% of cases, there is no obvious cause. 3 4 These children are a concern to healthcare providers (HCPs), due to a small but significant risk of life-threatening bacterial infections, 5 which can have ...
- Simon Leigh, Jude Robinson, Shunmay Yeung, Frans Coenen, Enitan D Carrol, Louis W Niessen
- 10.1136/archdischild-2019-318209
- 2020
- Arch Dis Child. 2020 Aug; 105(8): 765-771.
Nov 7, 2019 · Guidance. This guideline covers the assessment and early management of fever with no obvious cause in children aged under 5. It aims to improve clinical assessment and help healthcare professionals diagnose serious illness among young children who present with fever in primary and secondary care. November 2021: We added a definition of sepsis ...
Oct 28, 2023 · A fever is a body temperature above 38 degrees C. It is usually the body’s way to fight infection. For example viral infections (which do not respond to antibiotics) can often make a child’s temperature become high. A fever can also caused by other things, such as immunisation or as part of an inflammatory reaction caused by some medical ...
