Parents and
providers can now take advantage of this new online feature.
Submit your health-related questions to the HealthLine
Nurse Consultant. Your questions will be answered via phone
or email. Selected questions and answers may be posted
on this site weekly. Be sure to browse through this section
before submitting a question. There may already be an answer
for you on the site!
Q u e s t i o n o f t h e W e e k
Topic:
Illness Prevention
Question:
How high a fever is dangerous
Answer:
In most cases, our concern is not so much with the height of the temperature as with the age of the child and the cause of the fever. Is the child under three months? (Any fever in a child this age is a cause for concern.) Does the child have a stiff neck or reluctant to be moved? Is the skin color gray, blue or pale? Is the child moaning or having trouble breathing? A 3 year old with those signs and a temperature of 101 degrees may be a lot sicker than an energetic child with a temperature of 103 degrees. Also, in my experience, electronic ear thermometers may not be as accurate for temperatures, so it is a good idea to double check temperatures with either an alcohol-filled glass thermometer or an oral or rectal digital electronic model.
