Not all fevers need emergency care: doctor
Posted December 12, 2019 10:49 am.
Last Updated December 12, 2019 11:31 am.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Although it can be concerning if your child has a fever, a trip to the emergency room isn’t always necessary, according to a local doctor.
Dr. Neil Barclay is Fraser Health’s Regional Medical Director for Emergency Medicine and says most fevers are caused by viruses, which go away on their own.
“If a child looks well and they have a fever, [but] they’re eating and drinking okay, they’re not having trouble breathing, they’re still talking to you, and moving it’s okay to treat them at home for a couple of days,” he explains.
The times to go to the hospital are if your child is less than three months old, or if your older child is lethargic, having trouble breathing, or not drinking enough fluids.
“If your child is less than three-months-old and they have a fever, a temperature above 38 degrees (Celsius), that’s an emergency and that’s actually something that should be brought to the emergency department,” he says.
Barclay adds vaccinations have reduced cases of meningitis and other bacterial infections over the last twenty years. But there is still a bit of “fever-phobia” since then, leading parents to bring their kids to the hospital as soon as they have a fever.
