Fever, Infection and Visiting the Emergency Department
Children with cancer are more at risk for infections. Both cancer and its treatment lower children’s resistance to infection. The risk is even greater if your child has low neutrophil (ANC) counts. You should know the early signs of infection.
Fever is one of the most reliable signs of infection. If your child has a fever, he/she needs medical care right away. It is important to use a thermometer to check your child’s temperature any time he/she is warm to the touch, shivering or is just not feeling well.
Call if Your Child’s Temperature is:
Call immediately. Do not wait until clinic opens.
- 100.4° F (38.0° C) or above
- Tell the doctor or nurse the actual temperature shown on the thermometer and how you took it
- Never give your child Tylenol® for a fever unless instructed by your child’s doctor
When you call, you may be asked to come in to the clinic OR Emergency Department (ED) to be seen.
Put on EMLA/LMX cream BEFORE you leave home if your child has a port.
When you arrive to be seen, your doctors will:
- Determine which labs to check and antibiotics to give
- Notify the Emergency Department (ED), if needed, of patient’s arrival
- If the patient is under the age of 18, he/she will be seen at Blank Children’s ED. If the patient is over 18, he/she will be seen in the Iowa Methodist Adult ED.
- Decide if your child may need to be admitted to the hospital
Immunizations and Exposures
In children undergoing chemotherapy, the immune system does not work well. The only immunization that will be given during therapy is the flu vaccine. Brothers and sisters are encouraged to get all their immunizations. Parents, siblings and household contacts should receive the flu shot, not the mist. The patient can go to school with children who have had the mist.
Call your doctor right away if your child:
- Is exposed to flu, chicken pox, shingles, measles, mumps, rubella, whooping cough or hepatitis
- Has chicken pox, shingles or cold sores