Child Has Fever, Rosy Cheeks, Not Breathing Well

Posted on Thu, 4 Oct 2012

Question: My 2 year old was a little off after I picked him up from daycare he had a nap now he has woken up with a fever and rosy cheeks and not breathing very well

Answered by Dr. Aparna Kohli (2 hours later)

Hi XXXXXXX
Thanks for writing to us.
It seems that your child has a viral exanthem or probably an infection. The exact problem can be made out only after we do a examination.
But since he's not breathing well, I would suggest that you take him to the ER and get an evaluation done. Young children can get sick very soon and things can get out of control.
Till then, please do the following:
a. Give him paracetamol syrup at a dose of 15 mg/kg. So of his weight is 10 kg, its 150 ml and depending on the local preparation available, give him an appropriate dose. 1 teaspoon is 5 ml, so that should be a rough guide
b. Dont give him any thing like aspirin etc. Pain killers in a viral exanthem can cause Reye's syndrome, which is fatal.
c. Use tepid water for sponging. This will help bring down the fever.
d. See a physician. He may need a course of antibiotics depending on the exam findings.
Hope that helps.
Let me know if you have any more questions
Regards

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar