TAHOE/TRUCKEE, Calif. - A fever is a natural part of a child's
immune response. When it is functioning at its absolute best, a
child's body will fight off most foreign invaders so swiftly
they will have no outward effect at all. However, when
necessary, a child's immune system will raise his or her
temperature to create a hostile environment for that invader.
It's how a healthy body functions. Simply put, our body's first
line of defense when invaded by a virus or bacteria is
specialized white blood cells. A strong, healthy immune system
may be able to eliminate the invaders with this first step
alone. If the white blood cells fail to contain the bugs, then
the brain recognizes there is an invader and raises the body
temperature to assist in killing it off. This elevated
temperature will generally be just a couple of degrees, but the
brain determines the degrees based on the potency of invaders
and what will be necessary to eliminate the bug. If the
infection is severe then the body temperature rises accordin