Most of the illnesses which give you a temperature are caused by viruses. Although they can make you feel unwell, they do not usually need much in the way of special treatment or medicines from your doctor - meningitis being a notable exception. The common illness cause by a virus is the common cold. Illnesses such as flu are also caused by viruses - in this instance the influenza virus. Fever is part of many other illnesses for which your doctor may decide to give you medicine. Fever needs to be handled slightly differently for adults and children.

When does fever occur?
A high temperature can result from many illnesses. It is a symptom of a number of common infections, including tonsillitis, sinusitis, chest and kidney infections.

Fever is usually preceded by muscle aches, headaches and a general feeling of tiredness. If you take your temperature when you have these symptoms it is likely to be higher than normal (though not always).

Normal body temperature is 98.4 0 F and 37.0 0 C.

After a day or so, other symptoms of the primary illness may develop - such as a cough, a sore throat or earache. You may become more tired and your temperature may rise further.

What to do if you child has a fever?
During a fever, children often develop higher temperatures than adults because they cannot sweat efficiently. It is very important to keep children cool. If they are kept cool their illness will be less severe and they will recover more quickly. The following is useful advice.

• Keep the room cool, turn off the central heating and remove clothing and bedclothes. Cover the child with a single sheet
  Children do not sweat efficiently as adults, so it is important to bathe their bodies with a flannel or sponge soaked in warm water. As the water evaporates it acts like artificial sweat, cooling them down.
• Providing the child has not vomited, encourage the child to drink. Do not feed solids if the child does not appear to be hungry. If the child is vomiting, then do not give fluids - and consult your doctor for further advice.
• Special children’s analgesics such as ibuprofen suspension (Nurofen for Children Sugar Free) and paracetamol suspension (Calpol) can reduce temperature. Some of these, for example Nurofen for Children Sugar Free, can work for up to 8 hours to reduce temperature. Consult manufacturer’s information for the dose appropriate for your child.
• If your child appears to be very unwell or if the temperature persists, then consult your doctor.