MIAMI (CBS4) – A new report is urging moms and dads to hold off giving their kids Tylenol or aspirin the next time they come down with a fever.
Dr. Henry Farrar, co-author of the study for the American Academy of Pediatrics, says parents sometimes develop ‘fever phobia’ and over-treat their children every time their temperature inches up. He noted that some parents will even wake up a sleeping child to give them something to reduce the fever.
“If they’re sleeping, let them sleep,” said Farrar who pointed out that a fever is not an illness but rather a mechanism that helps fight infection.
Most often, kids’ fevers are caused by viruses, and they will go away without medicine and without causing any damage. The report doesn’t recommend any temperature cutoffs for when to treat or call the doctor.
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