Patient's question:
The child is 8 months old. Since he recovered from a fever 5 days ago, he has developed a new habit of scratching others and himself, often scratching his hairline until it bleeds. Whenever he scratches himself, he always starts at the hairline and then scratches vertically from his eyebrows to his mouth. What should I do? We don't have any pets at home, and he hasn't been bitten by any pets.Doctor's answer:
If the child frequently scratches their body, it should be checked. Also, consider other discomforts the child might have, as they often won't speak up, but they certainly won't pretend to be sick. For example, is there inflammation in the ear? Take the child to the Otolaryngology department for a check-up. Fever often results from upper respiratory infections, which can sometimes progress to the ears. If the examination reveals no other issues, you can wait and see—likely there won’t be a major problem.