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 temperature of or higher?

Do you think that your child has an extremely high fever, but you are unable 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 child have a fever and new, tiny purple or red spots (petechiae)?

Does your child have many 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.

Has your child had a first seizure that does not fall within the guidelines for a fever seizure? A seizure is likely to be fever-related if it meets the following guidelines:The seizure happened within 24 hours of the start of a fever.The seizure lasted less than 3 minutes.The seizure affected the entire body, not just one side of the body.The child is between 6 months and 6 years old.The child does not have nervous system (neurological) problems.The child has had fever seizures before.

Has your child had a first seizure that does fall within within the guidelines for a fever seizure?

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 seizure that does not fall within the guidelines for a fever seizure?A seizure is likely to be fever-related if it meets the following guidelines:The seizure happened within 24 hours of the start of a fever.The seizure lasted less than 3 minutes.The seizure affected the entire body, not just one side of the body.The child is between 6 months and 6 years old.The child does not have nervous system (neurological) problems.The child has had fever seizures before.

Has your child had another fever seizure that does fall within the guidelines for a fever seizure?Note: If the fever seizure falls within the guidelines for a fever seizure, an appointment may not be necessary. Your doctor will want to know that your child has had a fever seizure and will discuss your child's symptoms and care with you.

Has your child had a seizure that is different from past seizures, or is your child now behaving differently than after past seizures?

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.