If a fever accompanies a wound infection, what should you do?

• A. Ignore fever and continue as usual.
• B. Apply heat to the wound.
• C. Seek medical care; keep wound clean and monitor for signs of systemic infection.
• D. Use antibiotics from a friend.

Answer: (C)

Fever alongside a wound infection means the infection might be spreading beyond the surface of the wound and could affect the whole body, so it’s important to get medical evaluation rather than hoping it will improve on its own. The presence of fever indicates the body's response is active and a clinician may need to assess for deeper infection and determine if antibiotics are needed, and to rule out complications like cellulitis or sepsis. While you arrange care, keep the wound clean and protected to prevent more contamination: rinse with clean water, remove obvious dirt if you can do so safely, and cover with a clean dressing. Monitor for signs that the infection is getting worse—redness or swelling spreading from the wound, increased warmth, more pain, pus, or fever that persists or rises—or if the person develops weakness, confusion, trouble breathing, or a fever that’s high or lasting; seek urgent care in those cases. Avoid ignoring the fever, applying heat to the wound, or using antibiotics from someone else, as this can worsen the situation.