UAE: Why are children falling ill with day-old fevers? Doctors explain

UAE: Why are children falling ill with day-old fevers? Doctors explain

Fever could be caused due to a number of factors, including infections and bugs

Published: Fri 26 Aug 2022, 4:38 PM

Doctors are advising parents that mild fever among their kids is not a cause for alarm and the most common cause is probably flu or other viral infections.

In recent times many children aged 6 to 16 have been reporting to clinics with mild fever and cold, without showing any other symptoms. They said parents fear that their kids have got Covid, but in most cases it is not so.

“Most childhood infections nowadays are caused by viruses like the common cold, Influenza, upper respiratory infections, and gastroenteritis,” said Dr Gaurav Jadon, specialist pediatrician, NMC Speciality Hospital, Dubai.

Fever could be caused due to a number of factors, including infections and bugs. “Young children, more often, haven’t built up immunity to illness. Therefore, they are vulnerable to illness when they come in contact with germs. The child’s immune system works to fight off illnesses and when this system is triggered, the body’s temperature heats up,” said Dr Malak Shaheen, consultant of paediatrics and paediatric allergy, Thumbay University Hospital, Ajman.

“Precisely, fever is an alarm of the body’s natural defence system, and it’s not always a