At the hospital, a mother calls the night nurse as she believes her three-year old child has fever. She is worried and asks for some help.
Nurse : You rang the call bell Mrs. Robinson. Is there anything wrong ?
Mother : My child keeps crying and her forehead is hot to the touch. I think she has fever. I’m rather worried. Could you please do something ?
Nurse : You shouldn’t panic. I’ll take her temperature. Let me see… It’s 38.5. You are right, it’s a little high as the normal temperature for a three-year old child should be less than 38.5.
Mother : How could I not be worried then ? My daughter was admitted to hospital yesterday for seasonal influenza, with cough, sore throat, runny nose, headache and diarrhea. She was already painful but now she has fever…
Nurse : Take a deep breath and relax. In most cases, it is not as dangerous as it seems.
Mother : Do what you can please. I can’t bear her pained cries !
Nurse : That’s what we’re up to now. Just keep calm and, somehow, you know a fever is a good thing. It means that your child’s immune system is doing its job by fighting the cold and the infection. Your child is heathy and remember, amazingly healthy kids can tolerate a fever with no complications.
Mother : Are you sure ? I know that high fever can be dangerous, especially since my daughter had a runny nose and diarrhea before being admitted.
Nurse : I’ll take care of her Mrs. Robinson. She has a runny nose but it’s a clear fluid, no need to worry. We gave her an anti-fever drug an hour ago and she should be OK. Now I’ll give her a lukewarm bath to cool her off.
Mother : People say that a cold bath can be used to bring the temperature down. Is it a safe method ?
Nurse : No, this should not be done as cold water will make your child shiver, which can raise her temperature even higher. On the other hand, a 15-minute bath in lukewarm water may help bring her fever down. But you should make sure the water doesn’t get cold, and take her out if she starts to shiver. I’ll also give her some fluids to keep her hydrated. And I’ll take off all those heavyweight clothes and keep her in breathable and light clothing so as to avoid sweating and shivering. I will also replace this blanket by a sheet.
Mother : That’s a good idea. But what if her fever rises above 41 ? Can it cause brain damage ?
Nurse : No it can’t. You shouldn’t worry as a fever is almost never the result of illness alone. It’s usually the symptom of an underlying condition, an infection for instance.
Mother : All right, but then again, can this high fever cause her to have hallucinations ?
Nurse : It’s possible. A feverish child could start seeing things that aren’t really there. But again this is unlikely as your child’s fever is moderate. I’ll check on her every hour from now on but the fever should go down meanwhile. So take it easy.
Mother : Thanks for being so reassuring !
Nurse : You’re welcome. I’ll call on you in an hour.
VOCABULAIRE
Lukewarm bath : bain d’eau tiède
To have a runny nose : avoir le nez qui coule
To shiver : avoir des frissons
Influenza : grippe
Sore throat : mal de gorge
Cough : toux Anti-fever drug: médicament contre la fièvre
Feverish child : enfant fiévreux
To bring a fever down : faire baisser la température
Common phrases
I’ll take her temperature.
→ Je prends sa température.
In most cases, fever is not as dangerous as it seems.
→ Dans la plupart des cas, la fièvre n’est pas dangereuse.
Your child’s immune system is fighting the cold and the infection.
→ Le système immunitaire de votre enfant combat la grippe et l’infection.
I’ll give her some fluidsto keep her hydrated.
→ Je vais lui donner des fluides pour la maintenir hydratée.
I’ll take off her heavyweight clothes.
→ Je vais lui ôter ses vêtements chauds.
Your child fever is moderate.
→ Elle a une fièvre modérée.
We should keep her in breathable clothing so as to avoid sweating and shivering.
→ Il faudrait la garder dans des vêtements légers pour éviter la transpiration et les frissons.
A feverish child could start seeing things that aren’t really there.
→ Un enfant fiévreux peut s’imaginer voir des choses qui n’existent pas.