What is a fever?
Q: What is a fever?
A: A fever is when a person's body temperature is higher than 37.5 degrees Celsius (99.5 Fahrenheit).
Q: What is the normal body temperature for humans?
A: The normal body temperature for humans is typically cited as 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 F), but naturally varies from person to person by at least .5 degrees Celsius.
Q: How does the location of the measurement affect the actual measurement of body temperature?
A: The actual measurement of body temperature will vary based on the location of the measurement. For a temperature taken from under the tongue, the measurement may be lower. Rectal temperatures will read about 0.3 C (0.55 F) higher, and armpit temperatures will read about the same amount lower.
Q: Why does our body's temperature rise when we are ill?
A: When people are ill, their body's immune system fights against disease, and so their body temperature rises in order to disrupt life cycles of germs that cause illness.
Q: What constitutes a low-grade fever and high-grade fever?
A: About 38 °C (100.4 F) degrees is called a low-grade fever, and above 39.5 °C (103 F) degrees is considered a high-grade fever.
Q: Do children have higher fevers than adults?
A: Yes, children usually have a higher fever than adults because their immune system is less mature compared to an adult's immune system.. Infants have even higher normal temperatures which decreases as they age into adulthood..
Q: Are there any animals with higher normal temperatures than humans?
A:Yes, some animals especially small ones like rabbits and cats also have a higher normal temperature than humans do..
