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#x203A; Infection of the respiratory tract is the most common reason for seeking medical advice and hospital admission in children. A viral upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) is the most common infection of the respiratory tract.
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› In developing countries, acute respiratory infection remains a leading cause of childhood mortality, causing an estimated 1.5–2 million deaths annually in children younger than 5 years of age.
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› In developed countries, viruses are responsible for most upper and lower respiratory tract infections, including pharyngitis and pneumonia.
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› Although the degree of fever cannot differentiate between viral and bacterial diseases, high fever is associated with a greater incidence of serious bacterial diseases such as pneumonia or meningitis.
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› Worldwide, diarrheal disease is the leading cause of childhood deaths under 5 years of age.
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› If the fever does not have an evident source, urinary tract infection (UTI) should be considered, particularly if the fever is greater than 39.0°C and persists for longer than 24–48 h.
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› Widespread vaccinations against bacteria causing meningitis, such as Hib, and vaccines against meningococci and pneumococci have dramatically reduced the incidence of meningitis.
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› A child with fever and nonblanching rash should be promptly evaluated to exclude meningococcal diseases.
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› Young children with malaria may present with irregular fever and not with typical paroxysms of fever, occurring particularly in early falciparum infection or as a consequence of previous chemoprophylaxis, which modifies the typical pattern of fever.
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Keywords
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus
- Urinary Tract Infection
- Respiratory Syncytial Virus
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection
- Bacterial Meningitis
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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(2009). Fever in Common Infectious Diseases. In: El-Radhi, A.S., Carroll, J., Klein, N. (eds) Clinical Manual of Fever in Children. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-78598-9_5
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