Prolonged fever in 8 month old

[Thisemmagirl]

My LO is 8 months old and has had a fever now for almost 2 and a half weeks. This initially started with a runny nose and cough and I thought it was just viral but when it had gone on for a week I sought GP advice who reassured me it was as I suspected, viral. However the fever still persists now. I have been to the GP 3 times in total and a trip to a&e and I keep just being told this is viral. When he has a fever he looks very unwell; flushed and lethargic. He has an eczema like rash to his arms and he did have one to his face but this has cleared. He’s also having watery stools up to 10 times a day and the occasional vomit. He’s not taking any solids but he is taking 75% of his bottles. I just wondered if anyone had experienced anything like this before? I get that kids get viruses and can be unwell with them, but I’m so worried by the length of time this has been going on for and that we are missing something more serious. He had his urine dipped at the doctors and that was clear, ears and throat checked, he had some enlarged tonsils but no obvious white spots.

My daughter had similar last year and I was genuinely terrified she was seriously ill. She ended up testing positive for the flu in a&e. It made her so poorly! You can buy flu tests from supermarkets so try that but keep going back if you think something isn't right. Hope your little one feels better soon

Fevers that last more than 5 days in children need blood tests because there are too many serious diseases that present this way and are hard to distinguish from viruses without testing.

This is NHS guidance. I was told this by a nurse after being fobbed off by multiple Dr’s with ‘meh, it’s probably just a nasty virus’ when my daughter was one. Thank god for that nurse because my little one was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease and received treatment just within the 10 day time frame.

FYI symptoms of Kawasaki’s include red eyes, runny nose, swollen glands, prolonged fever, a rash, crying/fussyness and sometimes red hands and peeling hands and feet.

It’s highly likely that your kid does just have a virus but other things SHOULD be ruled out.

As someone who had this with their child it turned out to be bacterial tonsillitis. I would go back to A&E sometimes they miss white sports. A fever this length of time is very concerning