Fever at home

Most fevers settle on their own. The judgement worth having is not what the number is, but what else is happening alongside it — and that is usually visible without any medical training.

While waiting it out

• Fluids, steadily. Fever loses water faster than usual.
• Light clothing and a normally ventilated room. Do not bundle someone up.
• Paracetamol at the dose already prescribed, for comfort rather than to chase the number down.
• Rest, and a record: temperature, the time, and anything else noticed.

Seek care the same day if

• Fever lasting beyond three days, or returning after settling.
• Confusion, unusual drowsiness, or difficulty waking the person.
• Breathlessness, chest pain, or fast shallow breathing.
• A rash that does not fade when pressed.
• Persistent vomiting, or no urine for eight hours.
• Fever in someone on chemotherapy, on steroids, or recently operated on — this is urgent, not wait-and-see.

In an elderly person, fever can present as confusion or a fall rather than as heat. A sudden change in how someone is behaving deserves the same attention as a high reading.