FAQs about Fever in Children

Translated by Tria Barmawi from articles written by:
Donna D'Alessandro, M.D.Lindsay Huth, B.A.Peer Review Status: Internally Reviewed Creation Date: October 2001 Last Revision Date: April 2002

General Questions, Short Answer
-What is fever?
-What causes fever?
-Whether the fever transmitted?
-A thermometer type is should I use?
-How do I measure the temperature of my child?
-How to overcome cold?
-How long should the fever lasts?
-How to prevent dengue fever?
-When should I call the doctor?

If a fever?
Fever is the increase in body temperature
Fever is a symptom, not the disease. Fever indicates that there is a problem on our bodies and our bodies are over it.
Your child's fever when the results of the temperature measurement via anus exceeded 100.4 degrees F (38 degrees C).
Your child's fever when the results of the measurements of the temperature through the mouth (oral) exceed 99.6 degrees F (37.7 degrees C).
Your child's fever when the results of the temperature measurement via armpit exceeding 98.6 degrees F (37 degrees C).
The normal temperature is 97-100.4 degrees F (36-38 degrees C).

What causes fever?
Fever is a symptom of a disease
Fever is the body's resistance mechanism to virus infection or bacteria
Fever is usually not dangerous

If the fever is contagious?
Does. Fever is not contagious.

How to use the thermometer?
A thermometer used to measure the temperature of the body of the child
Always wash thermometers with warm water (not hot!) after use. Can also use SOAP or alcohol. Flush with cold water and chill.
Save the thermometer in a safe place so that is not easily broken and not easy to reach children
There is some type of thermometer that can be used with a different way:
1. Glass Thermometer

Cheaper glass thermometers of the thermometer. Fragile, sometimes difficult to read, and the child should sit long enough for us to take a temperature
There are two types of thermometer glass.: oral Thermometer has a long and slender tubes. Thermometer anus bertabung short and round. Oral thermometer is the best.
Rocking-just shake the thermometer before and after use. Mercury/mercury should be there under the number before we use it
Take the temperature of your child. Hold the thermometer at the distance where we can easily read it. Rotate slowly until we can see water raksanya (black line).
See the numbers where the black lines stop. If the number in Fahrenheit, the thermometer would indicate 95, 96,97