🌡️ Baby fever: when to worry and what to do

The game plan

1. 1. What to prepare

   Use an appropriate digital thermometer and seek urgent advice for a baby under three months with a temperature of 38°C or higher, or any baby who looks seriously unwell.

2. 2. What to check

   Call emergency services for severe breathing difficulty, seizures, blue/grey colour or difficulty waking. Do not delay care to try a bath or medicine; ask about product-specific medicine dosing.

3. 3. In South Africa

   For a life-threatening medical emergency call 112 from a mobile phone; 10177 for an ambulance. Give your location and follow dispatcher instructions.

4. 4. In South Africa

   Confirm your clinic or midwife obstetric unit, referral hospital, transport plan and after-hours contacts. Bring pregnancy records and your baby’s Road to Health booklet to visits; private medical-scheme arrangements and public referral pathways differ.

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