Fever in children aged 3 to 36 Months: management in the emergency department.

Abstract

The advent of pneumococcal and Haemophilus influenzae vaccines has substantially reduced the risk for occult (unsuspected) serious bacterial infection or invasive bacterial infection in the febrile child. The challenge for emergency clinicians is to identify and treat children with serious illness while avoiding overtreatment. This issue reviews the epidemiology and management of fever in children aged 3 to 36 months, focusing primarily on previously healthy, well-appearing children without a source of fever whose evaluation and management are more ambiguous.