Children's Health

Does your child have a severe headache, neck pain or stiffness, and fussiness?

Is your child very sleepy or hard to wake up?

Is your child acting confused or struggling with you for no reason?

Does your child have a bulging soft spot on the head when he or she is not crying?

Does your child have new swelling in or around a joint?

Does your child have severe pain in or around a joint?

Does your child have sudden redness or warmth in or around a joint?

If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.

Is your child grunting, wheezing, or having mild difficulty breathing?

Does your child have a barking cough?

If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.

Does your child have moderate to severe pain? See evaluating pain in a child.

If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.

Does your child have a fever and new, tiny purple or red spots (petechiae)?

Does your child have new bruises (purpura) but he or she has not had an injury?

Does your child have a fever and a skin infection (cellulitis)?

Did your child develop a rash that looks like a sunburn with a fever higher than ?

If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.

Does your child have a temperature of or higher?

Do you think that your child has an extremely high fever, but you are not able to measure his or her temperature?

If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.

Does your baby younger than 3 months have a temperature of or higher?

Do you think your baby younger than 3 months has a fever, but you are not able to measure his or her temperature?

If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.

Has your child had an operation or other medical procedure within the past 2 weeks?

Does your child have a medical condition or take a medicine that affects the immune system?

Does your child have a temperature of or higher?

Has your child had a temperature of to that has not come down after 12 hours of home treatment and medicine?

Do you think your child has a high fever after 12 hours of home treatment and medicine?

Has your child had a temperature of to after 24 hours of home treatment and medicine?

Do you think your child has a mild fever after 24 hours of home treatment and medicine?

If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.

Does your child have symptoms of moderate dehydration, and he or she is not able to drink any fluids?

Does your child have symptoms of moderate dehydration, but he or she is able to drink enough fluids?

Has your child had symptoms of mild dehydration for 12 hours or longer, but he or she is able to drink enough fluids?

If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.

Do you think your child's fever may be caused by a medicine?Note: Call the doctor who prescribed the medicine before giving your child another dose to determine whether your child should stop taking the medicine, take a different one, or have the dose adjusted. An appointment may not be necessary. If the fever is caused by a medicine, it usually goes away within 48 hours of stopping the medicine.If you gave your child a nonprescription medicine, stop giving the medicine. If you feel your child needs to continue taking the medicine, call your child's doctor to discuss it.

If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.

Has your child had a temperature of for 24 to 48 hours that came down for a short time after medicine was given but returned after the medicine effect was gone?

Do you think your child has had a mild fever for 24 to 48 hours that came down for a short time after medicine is given but returned after the medicine effect was gone?

Does your child have frequent fevers that do not seem to be caused by a viral illness, such as a cold?

Does your child have frequent fevers and no other symptoms of illness?

If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.

Call your health professional immediately.

You have answered "Yes" to a question that indicates you may need immediate care. Call your health professional now to discuss your symptoms and arrange for your care.

• Symptoms are likely to worsen without medical care.
• If you do not have a health professional, seek emergency care.
• Emergency transportation is not needed. However, if you are not able to travel safely either by driving yourself or having someone else drive you, call an ambulance.

You do not need to answer any of the other questions.

Call your health professional today.

You have answered "Yes" to a question that indicates you need to call your health professional to discuss your symptoms and arrange for care.

• An appointment today is usually needed.
• Symptoms are unlikely to improve without medical care.

Return to the Check Your Symptoms section and answer the questions. You may need to see a health professional sooner if you have other more serious symptoms.

You may wait to see if the symptoms improve over the next 24 hours.

You have answered "Yes" to a question that indicates you may wait to see if your symptoms improve over the next 24 hours (or the specified time period). If symptoms improve, no appointment is needed.

• If symptoms do not improve after 24 hours (or the specified time period), an appointment within the next 24 hours is usually needed.
• If appropriate, try home treatment to relieve your symptoms.
• Check your symptoms in 24 hours, or sooner if there is any change.
• Call your health professional if symptoms get worse.

Return to the Check Your Symptoms section and answer the questions. You may need to see a health professional sooner if you have other more serious symptoms.