Probably no symptoms causes fear and alarm more regularly than fever. Yet fever is actually a way that human beings fight infection. High fever can be troublesome and sometimes a sign of a more serious infection. The normal range of human temperature is between 98 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit. There are a variety of ways to measure temperature. Rectal temperature is the most accurate and tends to run a bit higher--normal rectal temperature is about 99.5 degrees. Of the newer tools to measure fever I especially like the Exergen temporal artery scanner which you can find on the web here for example. If your infant or child has a fever and you decide to call the office for help, we will want to know what other symptoms he has; cough, cold, chills, pain etc. Treating fever is at times controversial. Many believe that low-grade fever is an important part of our defense system and should not be treated. On the other hand, higher temperatures (perhaps above 102 degrees) make a child very uncomfortable. Treating this type of fever may create a period where the child feels better and can take some fluid and nourishment. There are two main medications which are effective at treating fever; Acetominophen (Tylenol), and ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil). These come in infant drops, liquid (elixir), chewable tablets, and regular pills. Here is a suggested link for calculating dosage of these medications. Feel free to call my staff to help you both in evaluating your febrile child and also with figuring a proper dosage of either medication to treat the fever.