When to Call the Doctor
Dr. Elyane Haddad

At what point is it necessary to call a doctor when my child is not feeling well?

When your little one is sniffling and sneezing, it’s sometimes hard to know what to do.

While most bugs clear up on their own, sometimes an illness can turn into something more serious. Here are four red-flag scenarios in which you should call the doctor:

If your child has a high fever

For infants, it’s a fever above 100.4 F. For children over 1 year, it’s a fever above 103 F, lasting longer than three days.

If your child has an earache, or drainage from the ear

This could be an ear infection.

If your child has a painful sore throat accompanied by fever

This could be strep throat, which a pediatrician can diagnose with a throat culture and prescribe antibiotics.

If your child shows flu symptoms -- fever, body aches, cough, runny nose or congestion

The doctor might prescribe an antiviral medication to reduce the severity and duration of the virus. But you must act quickly -- the medication only works within the first 48 hours of the illness.