Apr 19, 2026
It is 11 PM. Your three-year-old is hot. You take their temperature and it reads 38.5 degrees. Your first instinct is to search online — and within seconds you have sixteen different articles telling you sixteen different things, most of which are written for parents in the UK or US without any reference to the UAE climate, the medications available here, or what the actual clinical thresholds mean.
This article is written by the team at Shefaa Al Madeena Pharmacy, who answer this exact question from Dubai parents several times a day at every branch. Here is the right information, in the right order.
A fever is a body temperature above 38.0 degrees Celsius measured rectally in infants, or 37.8 degrees measured orally or under the arm in children over 2 years. A temperature of 37.2 to 37.9 is low-grade and often not treated — monitor, keep hydrated, watch for changes.
Fever is not the enemy. It is the immune system working. In most cases, a fever in a previously healthy child over 3 months old is the body fighting a viral infection — colds, flu, tonsillitis, ear infections. The fever itself rarely causes harm unless it exceeds 41 degrees Celsius.
Two medications are safe and effective for children's fever: paracetamol and ibuprofen. Dosing must be by weight, not age. The weight-based dose is far more accurate than the age-based guidance on most packaging, which tends to underestimate dose for heavier children.
|
Medication |
Dose and Notes |
|
Paracetamol (Panadol, Calpol) |
15mg per kg of body weight, every 4-6 hours. Maximum 4 doses in 24 hours. Safe from birth. |
|
Ibuprofen (Nurofen, Brufen) |
5-10mg per kg of body weight, every 6-8 hours. Do not give under 3 months. Not for dehydrated children. |
|
Alternating both |
Can alternate paracetamol and ibuprofen every 3 hours if fever is persistent. Ask pharmacist to confirm schedule. |
|
Aspirin |
NEVER give to children under 16. Risk of Reye's syndrome — a rare but serious condition. |
|
Antibiotics |
Do not give without a doctor's prescription. Most childhood fevers are viral — antibiotics are useless against viruses. |
Shefaa Al Madeena carries paracetamol and ibuprofen suspensions for children in multiple strengths. The pharmacist can calculate the correct dose for your child's weight and explain how to measure it accurately using the syringe included with the medication.
Certain fever scenarios in children require immediate medical attention. Go to the emergency department now if: your child is under 3 months old with any fever above 38 degrees — this is always a medical emergency. Your child is under 6 months old with a fever above 39 degrees. Your child has a febrile convulsion — stiffening, shaking, loss of consciousness — even if brief. Your child has a rash alongside fever, particularly a rash that does not fade when pressed with a glass. Your child is difficult to wake, unusually drowsy, or confused. Your child cannot keep fluids down and shows signs of dehydration — dry lips, no tears when crying, no urination for 8+ hours. Fever has lasted more than 5 days regardless of how the child appears.
Call your GP or nearest clinic for: fever lasting more than 48 hours in a child over 6 months who otherwise seems reasonably well. Ear pain alongside fever. Sore throat making it difficult to swallow. Any symptom that is making you genuinely worried.
Dubai's summer creates a compounding risk. A feverish child loses fluid significantly faster in a hot, dry climate than a child in a temperate country. Dehydration can occur within hours in a small child with a high fever during UAE summer. Keep the child in an air-conditioned room. Offer small amounts of fluid very frequently — not large amounts at once which may cause vomiting. ORS sachets are better than plain water for rehydrating a feverish child because they replace the electrolytes lost through sweating and fever.
Shefaa Al Madeena stocks ORS sachets in children's flavours alongside fever medications. These can be ordered for same-day delivery on shefaa.ae if you cannot leave the house with a sick child.
