My child has a fever. Do I need to go to the emergency room?

This is one of the most common questions I get asked. Sometimes it is phrased as, “What temperature should I take my child to the ER?”

The short answer is there is no specific temperature where you should take your child to the ER. I prefer to say that you should really look at how your child looks and acts to make that determination.

Whenever a child has a fever, they will look washed out and listless — like a wet dishrag. I would suggest giving acetaminophen or ibuprofen and reassessing in a few minutes.

When I was working in the pediatric ER, I would see kids with a fever of 105 with nothing more than a simple virus. Then I would see kids with a fever of 102 that had bacterial meningitis. Obviously, those two children would look and act very different.

Fever is a part of our immune system. When the body has an infection, it will raise the temperature. Often, the germ can’t survive at the higher temperature and it dies off. We also have other components of our immune system that will fight off the germs. We can live with a fever, we just feel miserable.

If your child has a fever and is still happy, then you don’t need to treat it. If your child is listless with fever, then I would suggest treating it with acetaminophen or ibuprofen.

So, when should you take your child to the ER for a fever? The best answer I can give is to trust your instincts. You interact with your child every day, so you are the best judge.

If there are no symptoms other than a fever that warrant an ER visit, I suggest giving a dose of medicine to reduce the fever and see how your child is acting. If symptoms persist or worsen — or if new symptoms emerge — you can reassess and consider visiting the ER.