What is fever? The first thing that should be understood is that a healthy child’s body temperature is not always fixed at the normal value of 37 degrees. This temperature always goes up and down, depending on the time of day and the activities the child is doing. In general, a child’s temperature is lowest in the early morning and highest in the evening, but the difference is actually quite small. The temperature changes more when the child is at rest and when he or she is exercising. Smaller healthy children may have a temperature of 37.8 degrees after running around. For babies under 3 months of age, a temperature of just over 38 degrees may be a sign of illness. If your baby is wrapped too tightly, loosen him up and take his temperature again. If an older child has a temperature over 38.3 degrees, he or she may be sick. A fever is the body’s response to many infections and certain illnesses. Many parents think that a fever is a bad sign, so they try to bring the temperature down with medication. However, it is best to remember that fever is originally a way for the body to fight off illness because most bacteria and viruses are more easily killed at higher temperatures. In addition, fever helps to observe the progression of the disease. For small children, the anal temperature is the most accurate, and after the age of 5 to 6 years, most children can take the oral temperature quite cooperatively. Taking axillary temperatures may not be particularly accurate. Management of fever Between the ages of 1 and 5 years, children can have minor infections that can cause them to have a fever of 39 degrees, sometimes even higher. These minor ailments include colds and flu, sore throats or influenza. But there are some dangerous diseases instead of fever. So, don’t worry too much about the temperature of the fever anyway. When your child seems uncomfortable or different from usual, go to the doctor regardless of the temperature. Sometimes, children can feel especially uncomfortable because of a high fever. If your child’s anal temperature reaches 39.5 degrees or higher on the first day of illness, you can use antipyretics, such as Benadryl, Tylenol, and Merlin. These antipyretics should only be given to your child once, or under the guidance of a doctor; overdosing can be dangerous for your child. You should still give your child a warm bath, or use a wet cloth, or a sponge to wipe your child. The purpose of giving your child a warm bath or a wipe with a wet cloth is to bring down the temperature through the evaporation of water from the skin, which is as effective as antipyretics and is both cheaper and safer. However, these methods can only bring down the body temperature temporarily, it will soon bring it back up again. When a child has a fever, a book cover, perhaps a sheet, is sufficient at normal room temperature. In this way, the child may feel more comfortable, but also help the body to dissipate heat. Can a child’s fever “burn his head off”? Many parents are convinced of this old saying, and as a direct consequence, as long as the baby has a fever, they will desperately use antipyretic drugs. In fact, fever is a common symptom in children, is the body’s protective response. Generally, a body temperature of 41 degrees or less will not cause direct damage to the neural tissue of the brain. This is because the basic component of brain cells is protein, and protein is usually not likely to be damaged until a high fever of 42 to 43 degrees or more. Generally fever rarely exceeds this temperature. So why is the old saying passed down to this day? What exactly is the case when a fever will “burn the head”? 1. Frequent convulsions for various reasons can cause lack of oxygen to brain cells, which may affect the development of brain damage. 2, the disease itself may affect the neurological development of the brain, such as encephalitis, meningitis, poliomyelitis, etc., can also cause neurological lesions of the brain. But this can not be said to be excessive fever “burned brain”, but the causative factors to cause brain damage. In general, parents should not panic when their children have a fever, and do not rush to take antipyretic drugs when the temperature does not exceed 39 degrees.