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What Do You Know About Fever?

One minute you're hot; the next, you're chilled and your teeth chatter. You've got a fever. See how much you know about fever, what causes it, and the best ways to treat it.

1. Your health care provider will consider that you to have a fever if your temperature taken by mouth is:
2. A child’s body temperature will show as the same number, no matter if it’s measured by mouth, in the armpit, or in the rectum.
3. Infections from viruses or bacteria can cause fever. What else can cause fever?
4. Some children can have a seizure caused by fever (febrile seizure). These are often harmless, and are most common in children ages:
5. A baby 6 to 8 weeks old or younger who has a rectal temperature of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher should see a doctor right away.
6. A person with a fever and chills should dress in warm clothes or stay in bed under lots of warm blankets.
7. There are no medications that can reduce a fever. You just have to wait for a fever to go away on its own.
8. Eating or drinking just before taking your temperature doesn’t affect the reading of an oral thermometer.
9. A person under age 19 with a fever should never be given aspirin.

Last Review Date: 02/03/2014
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