You Give Me Fever

There is no question that fever remains a source of great concern to parents. The simple fact is, many parents act too quickly and immediately worry when it comes to their child having a fever. Parental fear of fever is the most common reason parents bring children to the emergency room, or pediatric provider. It’s responsible for 1.6 million pediatric ER visits and nearly one-third of pediatrician office visits each year. As providers we are swarmed with visits and phone calls requesting advice and diagnosis. These concerns focus the parents on fever control and away from the more important issue— fever is a good sign that your child‘s immune system is working and the body is trying to heal itself. It is my life’s great work to eradicate “fever phobia” and separate the facts from the myths so that every parent can keep a cool head when fever strikes!