With all of the uncertainty that is going on in the world right now regarding COVID-19, one of the many things that most of us can agree on is the common symptom of a fever. However, with many people worried about the coronavirus, any slight change in body temperature can spark worries of a positive infection. So, what temperature is considered a fever and when is should people begin to seek medical advice? Let's find out.
The Body's Temperature
The human body acts the same way as a furnace, constantly emitting heat, which is needed to keep you alive. However, when your body begins to give out a little more or a little less heat than usual, it's usually trying to tell us that something is wrong.
Normal Range
The 'normal' body temperature for humans is not always the same. Often, there could be a whole degree difference between one person and another. Traditionally, the set standard for the human body temperature was set at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) way back in the 19th century, since then things have changed slightly with more recent studies showing the human temperature at around 98.2 degrees Fahrenheit (36.7 degrees Celsius).
For a typical adult, body temperature can be anywhere between 97-99 F (36.1-37.2 C), with babies and children possessing a slightly higher range of 98-100 F (36.7-37.8 C). Your body's temperature doesn't stay the same all day and it will change throughout your life too. The kinds of things that can affect the temperature of your body are:
- Your activity levels
- Your sex
- Your age
- The time of day
- The food or drink you've consumed
The temperature of your body can also differ depending on where it is taken. For example, underarm measurements can be a whole degree lower the temperature recorded from your mouth and rectal measurements can be up to a degree higher than mouth readings. Any reading that is higher than your normal range is considered to be a fever.
Fever
If you're asking yourself 'what temperature is a fever?' the answer is often anything above 100.4 F (38 C). Here, you are likely to start experiencing several symptoms including feeling terrible but a fever isn't always bad for you. It's often a sign that your body is doing exactly what it should be doing when germs start to invade, it is fighting them off. If, however, you begin to experience temperatures of 103 F (39.4 C) or higher, if you've had a fever for more than three days or if you start to experience symptoms such as chest pain, vomiting, rashes and headaches then it's sensible to get in touch with your doctor
In the case children, fevers are a little more complicated. Get in touch with a paediatrician if your child:
- Younger than three months and has a rectal temperature of 100.4 F (38 C) or higher
- Between three months and three years and has a rectal temperature of 102 F (38.9) or higher
- Older than three and has an oral temperature of above 103 F (39.4)
- Between 3-6 months and is fussier than usual along with a high temperature
Treating a Fever
In general, a slightly higher temperature isn't always a cause for concern. Adults experiencing fevers up to 102 F (38.9 C) should rest and take on plenty of fluids. However, with fevers above 102 F, ibuprofen and aspirin can be used to reduce the fever. If it doesn't respond to the medication or is higher than 103 F (39.4 C), medical attention may be required.
In terms of COVID-19, your temperature alone will not tell if you are infected but a high fever is accepted as one of the common symptoms. Therefore, it is important to regularly check your temperature to see if you are displaying a 'higher than usual' temperature.
How IDS Can Help
Here at IDS, we understand how worrying times like these can be, especially for businesses, big and small, that care about the health and safety of their staff, customers and visitors. To make things a little easier and to provide some peace of mind for business owners, we now offer state-of-the-art thermal imaging cameras that can help track and display the temperature of any individual that enters your premises.
Temperature measurements are accurate to within 0.5 °C, and the cameras can scan multiple people in less than 1 second. If your thermal imaging cameras detect an individual whose temperature exceeds the optimum range, an automatic alert will be generated and you can deny access or carry out a full health assessment as necessary. You can learn more about our thermal imaging cameras below.
Thermal Imaging Cameras from IDS Security >
If you require further information on how our thermal imaging cameras can help your business protect from potential COVID-19 infections or for more on any of our other top-of-the-range offerings, please do not hesitate to get in touch with a member of the IDS team today.
