Fever

What is fever?

fever is a temporary rise in body temperature and it is usually harmless,can be very helpful usually go away after 72 hours. Actually it does not happen always as we can see there are such cases in which a fever had last for more then 72 hours. And infact when people say that he/or she is suffering with 104 degree of high fever they are completely wrong because it is measured in terms of fahrenheit and not in degree celcius.

the degree of fever does not tell you how serious illness is fever can have a mild infection with high fever or a serious infection with no fever at all fever fighting for not a against the person. WHAT IS NORMAL TEMPERATURE ? Average body temperature  is 98.6 degree F(37 degree celsius) NORMAL TEMPERATURE RANGE RECTUM ______36.6 to 38 Degree celsius(97.9° F to 100.4°F) MOUTH________35.5° C to 37.5°C(95.9°F to 99.5°F) ARMPIT_______34.7° C to 37.3°C(94.5°F to 99.1°F) EAR__________35.8°C to 38.0°C(96.4°F to 100.4°F) WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A FEVER ? to stimulate the immune system to create an environment inhospitable for invading organisms. most bacteria and viruses that cause infections in people thrive best at 98.6 degree F. a fever of 102 to 103 degrees F is an optimal temp to defend against microbes. WHAT CAN CAUSE A FEVER ? Almost any infection can cause a fever including bone infections,appendicitis,skin infections,meningitis,urinary tract infections,viral and bacterial gastroenteritis most fevers due to infections.

Treatment Suggestions for fever

Keep your child’s room and your home comfortably cool, and dress him lightly. Encourage him to drink extra fluid or other liquids (water, diluted fruit juices, commercially prepared oral electrolyte solutions, gelatin [Jell-O], Popsicle.  If the room is warm or stuffy, place a fan nearby to keep cool air moving.    Your child does not have to stay in his room or in bed when he has a fever. He can be up and about the house, but should not run around and overexert himself.    If the fever is a symptom of a highly contagious disease (e.g., chickenpox or the flu), keep your child away from other children,people who may not be able to fight infection well, such as those with cancer.