How can bacterial infections be managed in children?

Question

Hello doctor,

My baby is three years old. She has been having a fever only at night for the last 10 days. There are no other symptoms, such as cough, cold, or anything else. What should I do? This happens once every month. Until last month, the doctor prescribed antibiotics like Zifi 100, but I did not want to give her more antibiotics. What should I do? The recurring fever every month is really concerning. During the fever, I gave her paracetamol.

Please advise.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your situation.

Based on the information provided, your daughter experiences episodes of fever every month, typically at night, without any other associated symptoms. However, it is unclear what the exact range of her fever is, how long it has been occurring, and whether it lasts for 10 days or more each month.

Since she does not have any other symptoms that would suggest a bacterial infection, there is no immediate need for antibiotics. However, such recurrent fevers certainly require further investigation. I recommend starting with the following basic tests, after which we can plan the next steps:

Blood tests: CBC (complete blood count), CRP (C-reactive protein), PCT (procalcitonin), LFT (liver function tests), RFT (renal function tests), and PS (peripheral smear).
Thin and thick blood smears for malaria parasite (MP) and rapid diagnostic test (RDT) for MP.
Routine urine analysis.

In the meantime, if she remains active and is accepting feeds well, you can give Paracetamol syrup as needed for a fever of 100°Fahrenheit and above. Once you have all the test reports, please share them with me, and I will provide further advice accordingly.

Thank you for using iCliniq. Have a great day!