A fever is a temporary rise in body temperature. It's one part of an overall response from the body's immune system. A fever is usually caused by an infection. For most children and adults, a fever may be uncomfortable. But it usually isn't a cause for concern. For infants, however, even a low fever may mean there's a serious infection. Fevers generally go away within a few days. A number of over-the-counter medications lower a fever. But you don't necessarily need to treat a fever if it's not causing discomfort. Body temperatures vary slightly from person to person and at different times of the day. The average temperature has traditionally been defined as 98.6 F (37 C). A temperature is taken using a mouth thermometer (oral temperature) that's 100 F (37.8 C) or higher is generally considered to be a fever. To take a temperature, you can choose from several types of thermometers, including oral, rectal, ear (tympanic), and forehead (temporal artery) thermometers.
