Patient's question:
My baby is two and a half years old and has had a fever due to the flu for two or three days. During the fever, the temperature has been between 39℃ and 40℃. The highest it reached was 42℃, but it dropped within less than ten minutes. There were no high fever seizures during this period. Today, the fever hasn't returned, but the child is restless, in poor spirits, slow to react, and has no appetite. There hasn't been any dry heaving or seizures again. How likely is the possibility of meningitis? How long after this can meningitis be completely ruled out? How many days will it take for the child's mental state to return to normal?Doctor's answer:
If the baby only has recurrent fever, which can be reduced after taking fever-reducing medication, and there are no other clinical manifestations or symptoms such as cough or runny nose, then it is likely that the infection is primarily caused by the influenza virus. Based on your description, if your baby is diagnosed with influenza and experiences a recurrence of high fever, poor mental state, irritability, and sluggish appetite, it is important to be vigilant about the possibility of neurological inflammation, such as meningitis or encephalitis. It is recommended to seek hospitalization for treatment.