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Is a fever with a Cold Contagious?
- Fevers are bad. “While often unpleasant, fevers are the body’s natural response to fight infection and can actually be a good thing!” shares Dr. Caroline Cederquist, MD, a family and functional medicine doctor and the medical director at Cederquist Medical Wellness Center and BistroMD.
- Having a fever means you’ve come down with a virus. While viruses can cause fevers, Dr. Megan Berman, MD, FACP, an internal medicine doctor and associate professor of general medicine at The University of Texas Medical Branch, says that there are many other causes too.
- Fevers are always contagious. According to both doctors, fevers are sometimes contagious and sometimes they aren’t; it depends on the cause. “While we often assume we are contagious if battling a fever, it doesn’t automatically mean you are,” Dr. Cederquist says.
- You should see a doctor any time you have a fever. Sometimes it’s helpful to see a healthcare provider when you have a fever. Other times, it’s best to just let it run its course.
Dec 24, 2022 · Fevers and Normal Body Temperature: 98.6°F Is No Longer The Rule. Coronavirus. Reference. What Is a Fever? Medically Reviewed by Dan Brennan, MD on December 24, 2022. Written by Hallie Levine....
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Body temperatures vary slightly from person to person and at different times of day. The average temperature has traditionally been defined as 98.6 F (37 C). A temperature taken using a mouth thermometer (oral temperature) that's 100 F (37.8 C) or higher is generally considered to be a fever.
Depending on what's causing a fever, other fever signs and symptoms may include:
•Sweating
•Chills and shivering
•Headache
•Muscle aches
Infants and toddlers
A fever is a particular cause for concern in infants and toddlers. Call your baby's health care provider if your child is:
Children
There's probably no cause for alarm if your child has a fever but is responsive. This means your child makes eye contact with you and responds to your facial expressions and to your voice. Your child may also be drinking fluids and playing. Call your child's health care provider if your child:
Adults
Call your health care provider if your temperature is 103 F (39.4 C) or higher. Seek immediate medical attention if any of these signs or symptoms accompanies a fever:
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Typical body temperature is a balance of heat production and heat loss. An area in the brain called the hypothalamus (hi-poe-THAL-uh-muhs) — also known as your body's "thermostat" — monitors this balance. Even when you're healthy, your body temperature varies slightly throughout the day. It can be lower in the morning and higher in the late afternoon and evening.
When your immune system responds to disease, the hypothalamus can set your body temperature higher. This prompts complex processes that produce more heat and restrict heat loss. The shivering you might experience is one way the body produces heat. When you wrap up in a blanket because you feel chilled, you are helping your body retain heat.
Fevers below 104 F (40 C) associated with common viral infections, such as the flu, may help the immune system fight disease and are generally not harmful.
Fever or elevated body temperature might be caused by:
•A viral infection
•A bacterial infection
Children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years are at increased risk of a seizure that occurs during a fever (febrile seizure). About a third of the children who have one febrile seizure will have another one, most commonly within the next 12 months.
A febrile seizure may involve loss of consciousness, shaking of limbs on both sides of the body, eyes rolling back or body stiffness. Although alarming for parents, the vast majority of febrile seizures cause no lasting effects.
If a seizure occurs:
•Lay your child on the side or stomach on the floor or ground
•Remove any sharp objects that are near your child
•Loosen tight clothing
You may be able to prevent fevers by reducing exposure to infectious diseases. Here are some tips that can help:
•Get vaccinated as recommended for infectious diseases, such as influenza and COVID-19.
•Follow public health guidelines for wearing masks and social distancing.
•Wash your hands often and teach your children to do the same, especially before eating, after using the toilet, after spending time in a crowd or around someone who's sick, after petting animals, and during travel on public transportation.
•Show your children how to wash their hands thoroughly, covering both the front and back of each hand with soap and rinsing completely under running water.
•Carry hand sanitizer with you for times when you don't have access to soap and water.
•Mayo Clinic Minute: What to do and not do when your child has a viral fever
•Mayo Clinic Minute: Acetaminophen aids with fever, pain
•Fever treatment: Quick guide to treating a fever
•Thermometers: Understand the options
Oct 24, 2023 · “You can actually be contagious for up to a day or so prior to onset of your symptoms, and then usually you're most contagious for about 24 to 48 hours after onset of symptoms,” says Winslow.
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Apr 17, 2024 · A normal temperature range is 97.7 to 99.5°F (36.5 to 37.5°C). Anything above that is considered a fever and indicates that you are probably contagious. Having a fever with a cold is not as common as the fever associated with the flu, but either way it means you are contagious. Running a fever is your body’s way of fighting off the infection.
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May 22, 2023 · While any temperature above your normal temperature range is considered a fever, there are different levels of fever severity: Low-grade: 99.1 to 100.4 F (37.3 to 38.0 C) Moderate-grade: 100.6 to 102.2 F (38.1 to 39.0 C)
Jul 31, 2018 · A viral fever is any fever that’s caused by an underlying viral illness. Normal body temperature is 98.6°F (37°C). Anything a degree above this is considered a fever.
