ABSTRACT
A 3-year-old girl is brought to the clinic. Her father tells you that he has had a temperature of 38.2 C for 24 hours. She is slightly listless and has a cough and a runny nose. Physical examination reveals no worrisome evidence of serious disease. The physician reassures the father that the child has a common virus that is circulating in the community, counsels the use of antipyretic medication to reduce the fever, encourages rest and hydration, and clearly states that he should bring the child back for reassessment if there is any worsening of symptoms or failure to improve.
