Read on Twitter
Some people didn’t quite understand what I meant by this tweet so here is a tweetorial for you.
To be fair, I had 5 words or less. https://twitter.com/drjaimefriedman/status/1264225498038558720
To be fair, I had 5 words or less. https://twitter.com/drjaimefriedman/status/1264225498038558720
Fever is one of the most misunderstood symptoms of childhood. I never said be afraid of all fever. Fever is a normal immune response that in and of itself is not typically dangerous. You can read more about it here: 1/ https://www.drjaimefriedman.com/faq-the-fever-issue/
We worry less that a child has a fever and more what is causing the fever. In an unvaccinated or under vaccinated child under 3 years, fever without any other source can signal they have an infection with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. This scares us. 2/
In the first year of life, babies are protected against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, pneumonia, polio, hepatitis, meningitis, measles and chicken pox. Sometimes fever is the only presenting symptom. A few examples of these illnesses below 
3/
3/
Haemophilus Influenzae type b, Hib, causes meningitis, pneumonia, and epiglottitis. Any of these can be quickly devastating, which is why we vaccinate against it. 4/
https://www.hopkinsallchildrens.org/Patients-Families/Health-Library/HealthDocNew/Hib-Disease-(Haemophilus-Influenzae-Type-b)-(1)
https://www.hopkinsallchildrens.org/Patients-Families/Health-Library/HealthDocNew/Hib-Disease-(Haemophilus-Influenzae-Type-b)-(1)
Pneumococcus is another nasty bacteria that causes meningitis, pneumonia and worst of all, bacteremia. Sadly, it’s harder to treat because of antibiotic resistance. This is why prevention is so important. 5/ https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/diseases/pneumo.html
Measles kills thousands every year. Even those who survive initial infection can suffer long term complications, including subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, which is always fatal. One of the first symptoms is typically a fever. 6/ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/measles/symptoms-causes/syc-20374857
So you can see why pediatricians worry when they see a young unvaccinated child with fever. There are many things to worry about and it requires invasive tests to rule them out. Hopefully that explains my initial tweet. End
