What to do if your child has a fever and sore throat

It is very common for children to have a fever. Fever sometimes affects the body's resistance and makes the child's constitution weak, which can easily lead to coughing and sore throat. These symptoms usually last for a long time, which makes parents feel distressed and anxious. After all, long-term fever and sore throat have a great impact on children's health. So what should you do if your child has a fever and sore throat?

1. Don’t rush to cool down

If the doctor determines that you just have a cold, it is best not to rush to take antipyretics within your tolerance range. Fever is one of the body's mechanisms to fight infection. Our body mobilizes its own defense system to kill foreign pathogens by raising body temperature (generally speaking, pathogens will die above 39°C), thereby shortening the duration of the disease and enhancing the effectiveness of antibiotics. If you use medication to reduce fever at the onset of a cold (37-38.5℃), the bacteria in your body will be temporarily put into a state of suspended animation and become resistant to the drugs. Once they revive, they are often more difficult to treat.

2. Cold compress

If a high fever is too much for you to handle, you can use cold compresses to help lower your body temperature. Place a cold wet towel on your forehead, wrists, and calves, and cover other parts of your body with clothing. When the cold compress reaches body temperature, it should be changed and repeated until the fever subsides. You can also wrap ice cubes in a cloth bag and place it on your forehead.

3. Hot compress

If the body temperature is not too high, you can use hot compress to reduce the fever. Use a hot, wet towel to repeatedly wipe the patient's forehead and limbs to dissipate heat from the body until the fever subsides.

However, if the body temperature rises above 39°C, do not use hot compresses to reduce the fever. Instead, use cold compresses to prevent the body temperature from continuing to rise.

4. Wipe your body

Evaporation also has a cooling effect. Experts recommend using cool running water to help dissipate excess heat from the skin. Although you can sponge your entire body, pay special attention to areas where your body temperature rises, such as your armpits and groin. After squeezing out excess water from the sponge, wipe one area at a time, keeping the rest covered with clothing. Your body heat will evaporate this water, helping to dissipate the heat.

Taboos for children with fever

Avoid drinking too much cold drinks : If the fever is caused by infectious diseases such as bacillary dysentery caused by unclean food, the gastrointestinal function will be weakened, and drinking too much cold drinks will aggravate the condition, and even worsen it and endanger life.

Avoid eating too much honey : During a fever, the focus should be on clearing away heat, and no nourishing food should be taken. Honey is a tonic that replenishes qi and strengthens the middle. If too much honey is taken, the patient's internal heat will not be effectively cleared and eliminated, and other complications may occur easily.

Avoid eating too much spicy food : As the body temperature rises, the metabolism in the body is vigorous. In this case, eating warm and spicy foods such as ginger, garlic, and peppers will add heat to the heat, aggravate the condition, and is not conducive to reducing fever and early recovery.

Avoid forcing children to eat : When some children have a fever, parents often think that fever consumes nutrients, and not eating will be even worse. This approach is counterproductive. Not only does it fail to promote appetite, but it can also cause loss of appetite and even cause vomiting, diarrhea, etc., making the condition worse.