HIGH TEMPERATURE (FEVER) IN CHILDREN
If a child is having temperature of 100.4 °F (38°C) or higher it is accepted as fever. Fever helps the body in killing germs.
- Simple febrile convulsion do not cause mental retardation and do not cause epilepsy.
- Reducing the fever does not speed up the recovery.
You can reduce the fever by following the steps below:
- In children older than one month, if the body temperature is above 38.5 degrees from the armpit give your child antipyretic medication in appropriate dose and duration.
- Then, undress your child and put him under a warm shower, or fill basin with warm water at a height of 5 fingers, sit the child in it, put a few toys in front of him that he will have fun with and pour water so that it spreads from his shoulders to his entire body. Empty the water from time to time as the water accumulated in the basin will heat up. Do this for 15 minutes. While you are doing, it is normal for your child to cry and his legs and hands maybe cold. If he/she shivers a lot while applying water, make the water a little warmer, as his shivering increases body temperature.
- After applying warm water for 10-15 minutes as described above, if the home environment is not too cold, let your child rest for 15 minutes, without dressing.
- Antipyretics begin to take effect within 45 minutes – 1 hour. If his temperature is still above 38 degrees, you can give the child shower again. After controlling the fever, you can dress the child in thin and loose clothing, make him drink plenty of water and monitor his temperature.
Dr. Gulben EFES