Question
My baby, who is less than one year old, has been running a fever for a while now. It’s the kind of fever that comes back after taking medicine to reduce it. It’s on and off, and they’re crying non-stop. What should I do if a 5-month-old baby has a fever?
Answer
Fever in children is generally caused by colds, viral infections, and the like, but there can also be other reasons. It is usually necessary to take the child to the pediatric department of the hospital to see a doctor for an accurate diagnosis and then treat the cause to suppress the fever. If the child’s body temperature does not drop below 38 degrees Celsius, you can use warm water or alcohol to wipe their body to cool them down. Additionally, you can use towels to tightly wrap chilled ice blocks in areas like the armpits, groin, and inguinal region to cool down. Cooling down is symptomatic treatment, but the key is timely treatment of the cause of the fever; patients should develop regular living habits, adhere to treatment, and maintain a light diet and do more aerobic exercise. This way, they can provide their own immunity and reduce the risk of illness.