What Is A Viral Fever?
The average normal temperature of the body is 98.6°F (37°C). If the body temperature is low or high other than the average temperature, then it is considered a fever. Medically, any fever that is caused by viral infections is said to be as viral fevers. There are various viral infections from the common cold to flu which can affect humans.
Viral fevers are frequent in children and older adults due to their low immunity power. Viral infections can attack any part of the body, and the fever is a result of the infection. High fever is the sign of the internal immune system fighting against the virus intruders and killing viruses.
How Does A Viral Fever Occur?
Usually, viral fevers spread by having contaminated water or food or by direct contact with the infected person’s bodily fluids. After the virus enters the body, it takes around 16 to 48 hours to develop a full raging infection with fever in the body.
There were several ways to get infected by the viruses where fever is one the main symptom, includes
Inhalation: Any individual with the viral infection sneezes or coughs, and if you are close by, the tiny sprays of fluids with virus ejected from their bodies may enter your body system and develops diseases in your body. Flu and Common cold are some examples of viral infections due to inhalation.
Ingestion: Having contaminated food and drinks with viruses can cause viral infections. Norovirus and Enteroviruses are some of the examples of viral infections due to ingestion.
Bites: There are some virus carriers like insects and other animals. When they bite, there is a chance of developing infections in the body. Dengue fever and Rabies are some of the viral infections developed due to bites.
Body Fluids: Exchange of body fluids when someone yawns, sneezes or even talks the tiny droplets of fluids enters your body and develop viral infections. Hepatitis b is one of the viral infection which can spread through body fluids.
The above mentioned all viral infections cause severe viral fevers in children. The duration of viral infections with fever may last from days to several weeks.
What Are The Signs Of A Viral Fever?
After the virus entering into the body, in the incubation period, the virus increases its numbers to a level enough to cause an infection. This is followed by fatigue problems and muscle aches that lead to a sudden onset fever. Some of the symptoms of viral fever include
- Unstable fever
- Fatigue problems
- Chills
- Headache
- Muscle, body and joint pains
- Inflammation of the pharynx
- Painful tonsils & sore throat
- Dizziness & feeling week
- Running nose
- Nasal congestion
- Chest congestion
- Burning sensation in eyes
- Cough
- Skin Rashes
- Diarrhoea
- Nausea or vomiting
Some viral fevers are spread through insects like arbovirus and it causes a bleeding tendency from the skin and from other internal organs that can be fatal. If you see any of the symptoms in your children consult a doctor immediately. Early diagnosis of viral fevers can be treated easily and quickly.
How A Viral Fever Is Diagnosed?
Since the symptoms of viral fevers are identical to many other diseases, it little hard to differentiate the viral fevers. However, to diagnose a viral fever doctor typically go the with symptoms which are peculiar in viral infections and rule out the other bacterial infections to confirm viral fever. So mostly diagnosis and management of viral fevers are based on the clinical presentation rather than laboratory investigations.
Doctors might also do blood tests or take other body fluids to check for signs that might indicate a viral infection, such as a count of white blood cells. In some cases, blood tests may not show any increase in the white blood cells, which occurred with bacterial infections. The fever is Confirmed by the culture of the virus and by taking relevant samples of nasal swabs, and skin rash or by an expansion in immune response levels in sequential blood tests.
How To Treat Viral Fevers?
In most of the cases, the treatment for viral fever is purely symptomatic. There is no specific treatment or antibiotics for viral infections because they don’t respond to antibiotics. So doctors mainly focus on reducing the symptoms by giving counter medications. Some of the common treatment methods which include
- Taking counter medications like acetaminophen or ibuprofen, to reduce to reduce fever and its symptoms
- Taking antiviral medications like oseltamivir phosphate (Tamiflu) as prescribed by a doctor
- Taking bed rest as much as possible
- Bathing with lukewarm to bring down your body temperature
- Adequate fluid intake to stay hydrated
- Complications like pneumonia due to viral infections need to be addressed particularly.
Most of the viral fevers recover completely within a week although fatigue may last for a few weeks. If you notice any of the symptoms in your children, mostly unstable fever or if your child prone to viral infections contact the right away. We, at Sai Siva Children’s Hospital, provide the best treatment for any kind of illness in children and take ample care of your child.
About The Hospital:
Sai Siva Children’s Hospital, Chanda Nagar, is a full-fledged medical facility specially designed for pediatric patients as well as young adults. The hospital was started in the year 2008, with the aim of reaching out to schools and villages to educate the middle and high school students about health & hygiene. Sai Siva Children’s Hospital is one of the most sought-after children’s hospitals in Hyderabad with a team of experienced doctors and skilled staff who aim to help your child have healthy growth and development. We believe that children today are the future of our world, and must have good health to make the world a better place to live in.