Many parents have many misconceptions about their children’s fevers, especially in China’s emergency rooms, where children have a higher percentage of fevers and anxious parents are often at a loss with their feverish children in their arms. In fact, there are many misconceptions.
Myth #1: A child feeling hot means he has a fever.
Fact: There are many reasons why children feel hot. Playing hard, crying, and just coming out of a warm blanket or being outdoors on a hot day can make the body hot. However, in these cases, the child’s skin temperature returns to normal within 10-20 minutes. When the above causes are ruled out, if your child still feels hot or uncomfortable, there is an 80% chance that he or she has a real fever. The following are the criteria for fever when taking temperature: Anal, ear or temporal artery: 38°C and above; Oral: 37.8°C and above; Axillary: 37.2°C and above.
Myth 2: Fever is harmful to the body.
Fact: Fever activates the body’s immune system, which is one of the body’s protective mechanisms. An ordinary fever (37.8-40°C) helps a sick child fight off infections in the body and is usually good for the body.
Myth #3: Children are prone to fevers that cause convulsions.
Fact: Fever convulsions occur in only 4% of children. Most febrile convulsions are characterized by sudden loss of consciousness, eye rolls, stiffening of facial muscles, spasms or convulsions. Some national pediatricians explain that even without medication, most children’s convulsions may resolve within a short period of time, so it is best for parents not to move their children around and to pay attention to keeping the child’s head sideways to prevent choking from accidental aspiration.
Myth 4: Febrile convulsions are harmful.
Fact: Although febrile convulsions may seem scary, they usually stop within 5 minutes and do not cause permanent damage to the body. It also does not put children at greater risk. However, there may be a tendency to have a recurrence at the next fever. If a convulsion lasts more than 5 minutes, it should be treated immediately at a hospital.
Myth 5: Fever can burn the brain (fever over 40°C is dangerous).
Fact: Fever combined with infection does not cause damage to the brain. Fever can only damage the brain when the body temperature is higher than 42°C. And the body temperature can only get that high when the body is exposed to extreme ambient temperatures. (For example, keeping a child in a closed car on a hot day).
Myth 6: You must take medicine to treat a fever.
Fact: Fever only needs to be treated if it is causing discomfort. Dong Lijuan, director of the Infection Management Department at Beijing Children’s Hospital, says that usually when a child’s temperature does not reach 38.5°C, there is no need to treat it, and drinking more water is fine. However, if the child is not in good spirits, crying, pale and gray, treatment is needed.
Myth 7: If the fever is not reduced in time, the body temperature will keep rising.
Fact: This is wrong. There is a thermostat in the brain, so a fever caused by an infection will often peak at 39.5-40°C, and rarely exceed 40.6-41.1°C. Even in the latter case, the body does not suffer from it.
Myth 8: If the body temperature does not come down, the cause of the infection must be serious.
Fact: A fever that does not respond to medication may be caused by a virus or bacteria and has nothing to do with the severity of the source of the infection.
Myth 9: Once the temperature comes down, it will not rebound.
Fact: Most fevers caused by viral infections usually last 2-3 days. Therefore, when the medicine gradually wears off, the temperature will return to the original level and require treatment again. Only when the virus is completely subdued will the fever disappear.
Myth 10: If the body temperature is high during fever, it means the disease is serious.
Fact: A high temperature at the time of fever is not necessarily caused by a serious cause. But if your child seems very sick. Then the cause of the illness may be more serious. Some doctors also believe that a small percentage of severe fevers will show no energy, fever symptoms that persist even after taking medication, and a grayish complexion.
Myth 11: An oral temperature of 37.1-37.8°C is a low fever.
Fact: A temperature within this range is normal. Body temperature varies throughout the day and it usually reaches its highest point in the afternoon and evening. And the real range of low fever is 37.8-39°C.
In fact, fever is not a bad thing, it helps the child to get rid of the infection. It is often a sign that the affected child has a better immune function against the pathogen, so please do not overstress.