Hello- My 9 year old son has had a low-grade fever and a cough for 8 days. His illness started suddenly with a higher fever of 101-102 degrees and also a headache and slight stomach upset.  After day 3, he seems to feel fine and is fever-free during the day, other than the cough, but in the evening he runs a slight fever around 99-100 degrees. We do not have insurance, and my husband was recently laid off. Were trying to determine if this is more than likely just a virus, or a bacterial infection before we decide if he needs to be seen.
Hi... Thank you for consulting in Chat Doctor. Fever of few days without any localizing signs could as well a viral illness. Usually rather than fever, what is more important is the activity of the child, in between 2 fever episodes on the same day. If the kid is active and playing around when there is no fever, it is probably viral illness and it doesn't require antibiotics at all. Once viral fever comes it will there for 4-7 days. So do not worry about duration if the kid is active. Paracetamol can be given in the dose of 15\u00a0mg/kg/dose (maximum ceiling dose of 500\u00a0mg) every 4-6th hourly that too only if fever is more than 100F. I suggest not using combination medicines for fever, especially with Paracetamol. Hope my answer was helpful for you. I am happy to help any time. Further clarifications and consultations on Chat Doctor are welcome. If you do not have any clarifications, you can close the discussion and rate the answer. Wish your kid good health. Regards -