(10) Take the child's temperature every half hour until his temperature is
reduced to an acceptable level.
CAUTION:
The child's temperature may continue to fall after you have sponged him.
Wait 30 minutes before resuming the sponge bath. Leave the child
uncovered following the sponge bath only if his temperature remains
elevated.
3-17. MENINGITIS
This illness is an inflammation of the meninges of the brain and/or the spinal
cord. Meningitis can occur to a child of any age. Children between six and twelve
months of age are the most likely to have meningitis, with the illness often following a
respiratory infection. The illness can begin either gradually or abruptly.
a. Signs/Symptoms of Meningitis.
(1)
In a young infant, a high-pitched cry.
(2)
A stiff neck in a late stage of the illness.
(3)
Fever.
(4)
Altered state of consciousness.
(5)
Rash (with meningococcal meningitis).
(6)
Nausea.
(7)
Convulsions.
b. Treatment for Meningitis. Treat with antibiotics.
3-18. SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME (SIDS)
a. Appropriate Title. Sudden infant death syndrome, commonly known as "crib
death," is the sudden, unexplained death of an infant without any warning. SIDS usually
occurs in apparently normal, healthy infants. Currently, no one is sure how to prevent
the death of an infant from SIDS. A thorough autopsy afterward fails to reveal the
cause of death. SIDS kills about 10,000 infants each year, the infants being between
the ages of 1 week and 12 months. A number of theories have been proposed to
explain SIDS, but no one has been able to positively identify the cause.
MD0584
3-21