Fever a symptom not disease: Dr Guru Prasad

Vijayawada: Fever itself is not a disease but is the symptom of various diseases, says noted physician Dr P Guru Prasad. He was addressing the health education programme organised at Vasavya Nursing Home here on Saturday with Dr G Samaram in the chair.

Dr Guruprasad termed fever as fire alarm. “When there is a fire we try to douse it and also try to learn its root cause,” he said and added that likewise, the physicians try to learn the root cause of fever while administering medicine to manage fever.

He said that fever generally occurs due to infection. Bacteria, virus, fungai, protozova and allergy to certain medicines also cause fever, he added.“Instead of taking medicine to treat fever blindly, one has to look for root cause,” he said.

In case of high fever wet cloth may be used to wipe the body and paracetamol tablet could be given to the patient, he said.

If it is low fever, one need not worry about it for two or three days but if it is high fever coupled with chest pain, headache, vomiting, delirium and fits, the patient should consult a doctor immediately, he said. “Never go for self-medication or do not take medicines prescribed to others or do not take anti-biotics without doctor’s prescription,” the doctor advises.

He said that some people go for blood test and other tests and decide on the course of treatment which is not advisable.

It is the duty of the doctor to prescribe tests and decide the course of treatment, he said and added that many a time there the result would be positive during the blood test but that does not mean that the person has such disease. “In case of fever to children and elderly persons, it should not be neglected at any cost since the aged would be less immune to the diseases the consequences might be severe,” he said.

Necessary precautions should be taken in case of clean drinking water and food as they cause fever in a large number of people, he said.

Asserting the importance of hygienic conditions and try to eradicate mosquito menace, he added. The physician said that vaccines will prevent certain fevers. “Everyone should be aware of fever,” he concluded.