Therapy
There is no causal therapy against three-day fever, also known as exanthema subitum, that is specifically directed against the virus and can combat it. Antibiotics for example, which are frequently used with infectious diseases, do not work with the three-day fever, since antibiotics work only with illnesses, which are released by bacteria and not with illnesses, which are released by viruses, like the three-day fever. Therefore, only measures that alleviate the symptoms of the three-day fever can be taken for therapy.
Since three-day fever is a harmless disease, despite its sometimes severe course, it is not necessarily necessary to take therapeutic measures, as the child’s immune system is usually able to fight the disease on its own. Often, the three-day fever occurs without any symptoms at all, so that no treatment is necessary. Ultimately, most children will be infected with the three-day fever-causing herpes viruses until they are three years old and thus usually achieve lifelong immunity.
In most cases, the fever disappears on its own after three to eight days at the latest. Symptomatic therapy includes above all antipyretic drugs, such as paracetamol, which has a fever-reducing effect and can also be used in children. The drugs are often used in the form of suppositories.
They are also partly available in juice form, but suppositories have the advantage that if the child vomits, the suppository can still develop its effect, which is not the case with juice. It is important that no drugs containing acetylsalicylic acid, such as Aspirin®, are given, because this can lead to the complication of a so-called Reye’s syndrome in rare cases. Reye syndrome is a life-threatening complication that can lead to liver and brain damage.
In general, the use of atectylsalicylates, as in aspirin, should be avoided in children under the age of ten in cases of viral febrile infections, because otherwise there is a risk of Reye syndrome. In addition to a drug therapy, one can also fall back on old proven household remedies. For example, calf compresses, which also help to reduce fever.
Calf compresses should not be used if the person concerned suffers from circulation problems or cold feet. Calf compresses can only be used to lower fever if the face, hands and feet are warm. For calf compresses, a cotton cloth is used, which is dipped in warm water and then wrung out.
Then it is placed on the lower leg. It is important to make sure that the temperature of the compress is no more than two degrees lower than the body temperature. Because if the temperature is too cold, the skin vessels constrict and the body can no longer give off heat.
This mechanism is, for example, a normal protective device of the body in winter, so as not to release heat to the outside unnecessarily. The calf wrap should be changed after about ten minutes of use. The third calf compress remains on the lower leg for a maximum of thirty minutes.
Calf compresses are usually not feasible with children who are too small, because they are too restless for this. Instead, they can be washed with water at body temperature. It is important to observe the child and if there are signs of freezing, remove the compresses immediately.
In general, it is especially important to make sure that the child or the affected person drinks enough, as the disease removes a lot of fluid from the body. Since children with three-day fever are surprisingly well, no therapy is usually necessary. Homeopathic remedies are therefore also not absolutely necessary.
The illness disappears by itself as fast as it came. If you still don’t want to do without homeopathy, you can give Aconitum napellus, Belladonna atropina or Ferrum phosphoricum, for example, to treat fever. If the fever persists for more than five days, a pediatrician should be consulted.Pulsatilla pratensis can be used for the various concomitant symptoms of three-day fever for coughing, Phosphorus for bronchitis, Bryonia alba for irritability or Rhus toxicodendron for aching limbs.
