What to Do When You Have a Fever in Children or Adult

What to Do When You Have a Fever

Today, I will be answering the question from one of my readers – What to do when you have a fever.

Before I proceed with answering the question, I will also like you to read answer to the question What is considered a fever?

Before I start with answering the question, I will first of all try to define or rather tell you the meaning of fever. In answering this question, I will try to explain fever in a language that a lay man outside the medical field will understand.

Before I proceed with answering the question – what to do when you have a fever in adult or children, I will to also let you know that fever is not an illness of its own but rather a symptom of an underlying problem or illness going on in the body.

You must confirm that you have a fever. That your body is warmth to touch does not suggest that you have a fever. For you to say you have fever, you have to get a thermometer reading (armpit measurement) of more than 37.5 C.
If your temperature is more than 37.5 C, then you should do tepid sponging with warm water.
You Can also take anti pyretic medication like paracetamol

Tepid sponging, in addition to antipyretic medication, is clearly more effective than antipyretic medication alone in reducing temperature in febrile children living in a tropical climate.

Also recall that fever is not an illness of its own but rather a symptom of an underlying problem or illness going on in the body.

See a doctor once you continue having fever after 24 to 72 hours of tepid sponging and taking antipyretic drugs.

Thanks as I how that the above answered your question - What to Do When You Have a Fever

References

Tepid sponging to reduce temperature in febrile children in a tropical climate.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8013170