AAP Report Clears Confusion about Childhood Fevers

A child with a fever can be very worrying for a parent, who will do all that is possible to lower that fever. A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics shed some light on childhood fevers and tells us what is really important when a child has a fever.

childhood feversIt is important to remember that the fever is mere an indication and not itself a problem and so getting the temperature back down to normal is not that important, since there is nothing to indicate that a fever will cause seizure, brain damage and worse if left untreated.

Mostly such parental fears are unwarranted; what is more important is to make a feverish child more comfortable.

The report tells parents to shed their “fever phobia” and to get over the confusion that surrounds children with fevers – what do fevers mean, what the definition of a fever, and when should you treat a fever and how should you go about doing so?

Parents should remember that a fever is the body’s defense mechanism trying to kill bacterial or viral infections and that some illnesses are actually resolved quicker if fevers are left untreated! The fever is not the only indication of a child’s illness; there are other more important pointers.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

12 + nine =

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.