Kids and Fevers

Pediatricians: Parents should not fear all fevers.
The AP (2/28) reports, "Fever phobia is rampant among parents of young children, according to a myth-busting American Academy of Pediatrics report" in the journal Pediatrics, which advises against treatment every time a child's "temperature inches up."
CNN (2/28, Wade) in its "The Chart" blog noted that although approximately 33 percent of all visits to the "pediatrician are due to fever, usually caused by a bacterial or viral infection," the study authors said most fevers are reduced "fairly quickly, are benign, and may actually protect the child." Still, study author Dr. Janice Sullivan from the University of Louisville in Kentucky, "stresses that it's more important to monitor children for symptoms of serious illness and to make sure they don't become dehydrated instead of becoming overly concerned with how high or low a fever may be." MedPage Today (2/25, Fiore) also covered the story.