How long should one treat?
The therapy of the three-day fever is exclusively symptomatic. The duration of treatment thus depends on the duration of the respective symptoms. The fever can, for example, be controlled by antipyretic medication.
After a few days, the therapy can be discontinued under control of the symptoms. The duration of the fever is usually 3-5 days, then disappears abruptly and turns into a rash affecting the entire body. Other symptoms such as coughing, itching or febrile convulsions should also only be treated for a few days until the symptoms subside.
Homeopathy for three-day fever
Parents of affected children are increasingly expressing the desire to treat the illness with homeopathic medicines. The effectiveness of these remedies has not yet been proven in any study, which is why additional orthodox medical care to control the symptoms is recommended in any case. Typical homeopathic remedies that are frequently used for three-day fever are Ferrum phosphoricum, Belladonna, Aconitum and Pulsatilla.
Prognosis
In conclusion, the prognosis for three-day fever (provided that no complications such as encephalitis occur) is very good. Treatment should be symptomatic and the fever should be lowered by drug and non-drug means. Otherwise, the disease usually heals without permanent damage, even in the case of febrile convulsions.
The three-day fever is a childhood disease that heals by itself after about a week and does not leave any damage to the child. Therefore, no medical treatment is normally required, at most a reduction of the high fever can be necessary. At home, parents can try to support the child’s body’s defenses with plenty of fluids and, for example, vitamin C and lower the fever with compresses soaked in lukewarm water (no ice, no alcohol!).
Paracetamol or ibuprofen, for example, can be used as medication. Aspirin should be avoided to lower fever in children as this medicine may cause Reye’s syndrome in children which can lead to liver failure and death. Antibiotics are not used in case of Three Day Fever as antibiotics are only effective against bacteria, but Three Day Fever is caused by a virus.
If a febrile seizure occurs, it is necessary to call a doctor who will treat the child with an antispasmodic drug (e.g. diazepam) in addition to antipyretic drugs. If necessary, the child should be admitted to hospital for observation. Only in rare cases of severe complications of the three-day fever such as encephalitis or in people with suppressed immune system (immunosuppression) can an antiviral drug (e.g. diazepam) be administered in addition to the antipyretic drugs.B. Ganciclovir) can be applied.