Question
The baby has started coughing, running a high fever, having a runny nose, and experiencing diarrhea. The timeline of the symptoms: The coughing began two days ago. The cough became severe yesterday, and by the afternoon, the baby had a high fever. Today, there’s a runny nose and diarrhea. Detailed test results: Previous treatment and its effects: Yesterday, the baby took two doses of cefixime granules, two doses every other day, each dose 2/5 of a packet. Yesterday, the baby also took two doses of Huitong, half a packet each time. Today, the baby also drank some light salt water. Yesterday afternoon, there was a slight fever, which increased in the evening to a high fever of 38.5 degrees Celsius. Normally, it’s around 37-38 degrees. Half an hour after taking Huitong, the fever subsided, but it came back a few hours later. Initially, I thought it was due to catching a cold. Later, I remembered that the baby received the measles vaccine last Friday. I called the health station, and they said it’s not a vaccine reaction; vaccine reactions usually occur within 24-48 hours. They advised us to drink more water; if it doesn’t improve, we should go to the hospital. However, I searched online and found that many people start coughing and feeling feverish after 5-8 days. Hello baby, what is the actual cause? Do we need to go to the hospital? It’s not easy for us to go to the hospital; we have to queue for several hours. It’s too painful for the baby to go to the hospital. Moreover, doctors usually prescribe intravenous fluids. Last week, the baby ate too much and vomited at night; we went to the Children’s Research Institute and waited for three hours in the emergency department before a doctor decided on intravenous fluids. I didn’t want to give my baby an IV because the doctor said if we don’t eat, it might lead to high fever, nausea, and vomiting. So I endured giving medicine, and the baby got better that day without any feverish or nausea/vomiting symptoms. But this time it feels more severe; the baby keeps running a fever, and I’m very worried. Is it just a fever or a measles reaction? Should we go to the hospital? I heard that measles usually causes fever for two days before rashes appear and then it’s fine. But I’m not sure if the baby is experiencing most of these symptoms.