Children with fever in the afternoon and at night: Beware of viral fever

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is expertly consulted by Master, Doctor Phan Ngoc Hai - Pediatrician - Neonatologist - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital and Resident Doctor, Doctor Nguyen Hung Tien - Resident Doctor of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.
The time of changing seasons from summer to autumn is when epidemic diseases break out and the victims are often children. High temperature changes during the day lead to an increase in the number of sick children and hospitalizations, one of the most common being viral fever.

1. Signs your child has a viral fever

Children with fever in the afternoon and at night is one of the typical signs of viral fever. Children have a high fever continuously for 2-3 days, some children only have fever at night or in the afternoon, accompanied by respiratory symptoms such as a lot of runny nose, irritation of the pharynx, redness, discomfort, and irritability. crying, feeling that the baby swallows, vomits.
High fever: This is a very common manifestation in cases of pediatric patients with viral fever, the body temperature often rises from 38 - 39 degrees Celsius, even up to 41 degrees Celsius. When the fever is reduced, the child is awake and happy again. play normally. Body aches: Young children often complain of pain all over their body, crying, uncomfortable to the touch, in older children, muscle pain. Headache: Some children with viral fever have a headache, but the spirit is generally still awake. Long-term respiratory syndrome: Symptoms such as cough, runny nose, or sneezing, burning red throat. Gastrointestinal disorders: This manifestation usually appears early if the cause of the fever is a virus in the gastrointestinal tract, it can also occur later than a few days after the fever is characterized by loose stools, but no blood. and mucus (no gastrointestinal bleeding). Lymphadenopathy: Enlarged, painful swelling that can be seen or felt with the hands, especially in the head, face and neck lymph nodes. Skin rash: Usually appears 2-3 days after the onset of fever, when the skin rash appears, the fever will subside. Conjunctivitis of the eye: Viral fever leads to red conjunctivitis, eye discharge, and watery eyes. Vomiting: The patient vomits several times, but usually occurs after meals.

2. What to do when the child has a viral fever?

For viral fever, antibiotics will not be effective in treating. The patient had a high fever continuously for many days, his body was tired from fighting the disease, his resistance was reduced due to the impact of the virus, now he takes more antibiotics, his defense ability is weaker.
There was a case where a 3-year-old child had a fever in the afternoon and at night, but the parents did not take him to the doctor and diagnose it, but instead gave him antibiotics, resulting in unwanted effects of antibiotics and resistance. birth, making it difficult to treat future diseases. Not only did the disease not go away, but the baby's health became weaker and weaker, causing the fever to last longer and get worse.
Therefore, in case a 3-year-old child has a fever in the afternoon and night mentioned above, parents should not arbitrarily use antibiotics for the child but need to see a doctor the next morning. In this situation, in order to overcome the child's symptoms, parents should note that it is important to use fever-reducing medicine for the child and add more water (juice, oresol solution). However, many cases of pediatric patients who have only been taking fever-reducing drugs for 2-3 hours but have had a recurrence of fever should not continue to give children fever-reducing drugs, but need to apply warm towels to body areas such as groin, armpits, forehead, etc. ... If the child has a fever accompanied by a lot of runny nose symptoms, it is necessary for the child to wash physiological saline daily to help clear the nose.

3. When does a child have a fever that needs to be hospitalized?

Parents need to take their children to the hospital for treatment when they notice the following symptoms in their children:
High fever over 38.5 degrees Celsius, especially when fever is over 39 degrees Celsius but fever-reducing medicine does not bring fever reduction effect . Signs of lethargy, lethargy, sleeping a lot, convulsions, headaches continuously and increasing gradually, children have nausea, vomiting many times, fever persists for more than 5 days. To prevent illness for children during the changing seasons, parents need to actively protect and improve their children's resistance, make sure they drink enough water every day and wear appropriate clothes according to the weather. Because it's cold at night and early in the morning while it's hot in the afternoon, it's necessary to adjust children's clothes often during the day to both prevent the risk of catching a cold and prevent the child from sweating. , is also the cause of colds for babies.
As a key area of ​​Vinmec Health system, Pediatrics Department always brings satisfaction to customers and is highly appreciated by industry experts with:
Gathering a team of top doctors and nurses in Pediatrics : Consists of leading experts with high professional qualifications (professors, associate professors, doctorates, masters), rich experience, worked at major hospitals such as Bach Mai, 108,... The doctors are all well-trained, professional, conscientious, and knowledgeable about young psychology. In addition to domestic pediatric specialists, the Department of Pediatrics also has the participation of foreign experts (Japan, Singapore, Australia, USA) who are always pioneers in applying the latest and most effective treatment regimens. . Comprehensive services: In the field of Pediatrics, Vinmec provides a series of continuous medical examination and treatment services from Newborn to Pediatric and Vaccine,... according to international standards to help parents take care of their baby's health from birth to childhood. upon reaching adulthood. Advanced techniques: Vinmec has successfully deployed many specialized techniques to make the treatment of difficult diseases in Pediatrics more effective: neurosurgery - craniofacial surgery, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in cancer treatment. Professional care: In addition to understanding children's psychology, Vinmec also pays special attention to the children's play space, helping them to have fun and get used to the hospital's environment, cooperate in treatment, improve the efficiency of medical treatment.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.