Your Child Has a Fever — on Chemotherapy

Ask your oncology team before giving any medicine — they may have given you specific instructions at discharge. The concern is that paracetamol can reduce the fever and make your child appear better than they are, which can delay the treatment they actually need. If you are already on your way to the emergency department, tell the team on arrival what you gave and when. Giving paracetamol is never a reason to delay leaving.

Do not wait until morning. A child on chemotherapy may have very few white blood cells — the cells that fight infection — and without them a bacterial infection can become serious within hours, not days. Your oncology team's emergency number exists specifically for this situation. Call it now, whatever the time. If you cannot reach anyone, go directly to the emergency department your team named.

Tell the reception desk immediately that your child is on chemotherapy. This usually means they are seen quickly. The team will check temperature, pulse, and blood pressure, and take blood to measure white cell counts and look for the source of infection. If counts are very low or there are signs of serious infection, your child will most likely be admitted for close monitoring and treatment while results come back.

A healthy child with a fever has an immune system working hard to fight the infection. A child on chemotherapy may have very few white blood cells — the cells that do that fighting. Without them, a bacterial infection that a healthy child's body would handle can spread very quickly. This is why a fever that would be manageable at home for another child is treated as a potential emergency during chemotherapy, and acted on the same night.