Infant Shots & Fever
Infants will often get a mild fever after receiving their shots. Mild fever is a common reaction after receiving the Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis shot, Hepatitis B shot and Haemophilus influenzae type b shot. In rare cases, an infant will have a high fever after being immunized. Call your child's doctor if her fever is high after receiving a shot or take her to an emergency room immediately. Acetaminophen or ibuprofen medications can be given to bring down your child's fever. Never give aspirin to an infant. Only administer these medications under the advisement of your child's doctor.
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Standard Vaccination Schedule
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According to the Centers for Disease Control vaccination schedule, infants typically receive shots soon after birth, at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months and at 1 year old. The shots that an infant might receive at each visit include Hepatitis B, Rotavirus, Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type b, Pneumococcal and Inactivated Polio Virus. An infant may receive up to six different shots at an appointment that are meant to prevent eight different diseases.
Measuring a Fever
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If your child feels warm after receiving his shots and you suspect he has a fever, take his temperature. A rectal thermometer provides the most accurate measure of an infant's temperature. According to KidsHealth.org, you should call your doctor immediately if your infant under 3 months old has a fever higher than 100.4 degrees and call your doctor if your infant older than 3 months has a fever higher than 102.2 degrees.
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If Your Child Has a Fever
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First, you should follow any directions your child's health-care provider gave you about fever after receiving shots, and you should contact him with any concerns about your child's fever. Dress your child in light clothing and do not wrap her tightly in blankets. Provide her with plenty of fluids to drink. You can administer acetaminophen or ibuprofen to your child based on her age/weight and upon the direction of your child's doctor. Infants under 2 months old should not take ibuprofen. To avoid an overdose, you can alternate between acetaminophen and ibuprofen as each medicine wears off, which typically takes four to six hours. Follow all directions on the package.
Severe Fevers after Shots
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Severe fevers, such as those over 101 degrees in a newborn or 105 degrees in an infant over 3 months, are rare. Severe fevers may cause seizures in infants. Take your child to an emergency room if his fever is severe or if your child has a fever-induced seizure. Speak with your child's health-care provider if your child's fever reaches this high temperature. She may advise against administering the shot again in the future.
Precautions
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Fevers are a natural reaction to the introduction of a virus in the immune system. If your child gets a fever after receiving his shots, this is just his body fighting off the virus and proof that your child's immune system if functioning properly. Provide your child with fluids before he even gets his shots by breastfeeding more or providing water for older infants. Monitor your child closely after he receives his shots. When you suspect he is getting a fever, you can take his temperature and start administering fever-reducing medicine. If your child has a very low-grade fever, you may choose not to treat the fever because the fever helps the body fight the disease.
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