Archive for the ‘Emergencies’ Category

When to Call a Health Professional

When we have problems with our children’s health, there is a guideline we must follow. And when it’s getting worse like the conditions below, we must call a health professional.

• If fever occurs with vomiting, severe headache, sleepiness, lethargy, stiff neck, or a bulging soft spot on an infant’s head. It might be the possibility of encephalitis and meningitis.
• If fever is accompanied by these symptoms:
  • Rapid, difficult breathing
  • Drooling or inability to swallow
  • Purple rash that does not lighten when you press on it
  • Vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain
  • Signs of dehydration
  • Unexplained skin rash
  • Ear pain (babies often pull at painful ears)
  • Pain when urinating (crying when urinating), not caused by painful diaper rash
  • New swelling, pain, redness, or warmth in one or more joints
  • Any unusual or severe pain
• If an infant younger than 3 months of age has a fever of 100.4°F or higher
• If a child age 3 months to 3 years has a fever of:
  • 105°F or higher
  • 104°F or higher that does not come down after 4 to 6 hours of home treatment
  • 102°F to 104°F for more than 12 hours
  • 100.4°F to 102°F for more than 24 to 48 hours
• If the child has a fever and seems sicker than you would expect from a viral illness such as a cold or the flu
• If the child becomes delirious or has hallucinations
• If the child’s fever began after he or she took a new medication