Is It Safe For Your Child To Take A Shower While They Have Viral Fever?

Can my child take a bath if they have viral fever? Viral fever (or viral fever) is a fever caused by an acute viral infection of the body, common in children with weakened immune systems.

Most cases of fever resolve on their own in about 2-7 days without treatment. However, viral fever is sometimes a symptom of many other diseases such as dengue fever and meningitis, UTI, pneumonia, acute gastroenteritis and tonsillitis, etc., especially in children. Therefore, if the fever is accompanied by many other unusual symptoms, you should bring your child to the hospital to be examined and accurately diagnosed.

During the course of viral fever, many often think of abstaining from bathing and not touching water for fear of getting sicker. But is that really true?

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Can I Take a Bath with Fever?

Children with fever often feel very tired and just want to rest in bed. However, showering with viral fever can help lower body temperature, making your child feel more comfortable. When you cover your child with a blanket all day, heat from the body cannot escape, making the fever-reducing process difficult.

Bathing will help relieve some body heat temporarily, as well as make your child feel clean and comfortable. Bathing with warm water also dilates peripheral vessels, helping to reduce fever and effectively prevent convulsions.

What to Consider

Your child can take a bath or shower despite viral fever, but still make sure to keep their body warm before, during, and after bathing. Bathing with cold water can cause the body to raise its temperature higher so that it does not feel cold, making the symptoms of illness worse.

Before taking a bath, they can drink a glass of warm water. And after bathing, dry their body thoroughly to avoid letting them get cold. 

Can They Wash Their Hair?

Similar to bathing when having a viral fever, patients also wonder if washing their hair during this time will have any effect or not. However, viral fever usually lasts about 1 week and if you do not maintain personal hygiene, you will feel extremely uncomfortable. Children with viral fever can still bathe and wash their hair with warm water. In fact, people with viral fever can still wash their hair without seriously affecting their symptoms.

Some notes when washing hair while the body is feverish:

• Use warm water and wash your hair in a well-ventilated room.
• Be quick and efficient with baths.
• Quickly dry hair and keep their body warm after washing hair.

What To Do If They Have A Fever?

If your child has a high fever, keep them hydrated and feed them nutritious foods. They can also have lukewarm baths. Avoid consuming greasy and spicy foods.

If fever is high or persists, you can have them take an over-the-counter antipyretic to help bring down their temperature temporarily. After that, replenish their body with enough water because fever causes more dehydration than usual. Severe dehydration can lead to many dangerous complications.

Note, you should not cover them with a blanket too tightly or have them wear too warm clothes because this will prevent them from properly regulating body heat. 

When using a fan, avoid letting the fan blow directly on the child. At the same time, you should open the room doors to help air circulation.

In addition, have a thermometer handy to accurately monitor body temperature. If the fever persists for a long time or the symptoms do not improve after taking medicine and taking home remedies, consult your child’s doctor to get an accurate diagnosis of the cause of the illness.