Question
My 2.5-year-old child has a rectal temperature of 38° and an armpit temperature of 37.8°. Is this considered a fever? Should rectal temperature be added or subtracted by 0.5?
Answer
The normal body temperature for infants is typically around 36.5～37.5℃ for rectal temperature and 36～37℃ for armpit temperature. Generally, armpit temperature is 0.2～0.5℃ lower than oral temperature, and rectal temperature is 0.5℃ higher than armpit temperature. If the armpit temperature exceeds 37.4℃, and the body temperature fluctuates more than 1℃ within a day, it can be considered a fever. Low fever is defined as armpit temperature between 37.5℃ and 38℃, moderate fever between 38.1℃ and 39℃, high fever between 39.1℃ and 40℃, and hyperpyrexia above 41℃. Fever lasting less than two weeks is considered chronic. For your situation, you can use physical cooling methods, such as rubbing alcohol on the body. Consider using antipyretic medication when the armpit temperature exceeds 38.5 degrees. Note to drink plenty of water, stay warm, and frequently measure body temperature. I hope my explanation helps you.