A rectal temperature or electronic pacifier thermometer are best. Let us see each of them: Oral –You may know this from your teenage days when your parents place the thermometer under your tongue to check whether you have a fever or not. Journal of Hospital Infection. An electronic contact thermometer is appropriate for newborns, infants, children and adults. When Is Flu Season Exactly—And When Does It End? Fever treatment: Quick guide to treating a fever, Getting safe emergency care during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://www.epa.gov/mercury/mercury-thermometers. Can I check for a fever without a thermometer? Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic offers appointments in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota and at Mayo Clinic Health System locations. Thermometers come in a variety of styles. Do this by holding the thermometer firmly and flicking the wrist until the mercury reads at or below the lowest number. Understand the different types of thermometers and how to pick the right thermometer for you. The only way to know for sure that you have a fever (meaning a temp above 99 to 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit or 37.2 to 37.5 degrees Celsius) is by taking your temperature with a thermometer… Remote ear thermometers, also called tympanic thermometers, use an infrared ray to measure the temperature inside the ear canal. How to take your child's temperature. Once a staple in most medicine cabinets, mercury thermometers use mercury encased in glass to measure body temperature. Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Mayo Clinic School of Continuous Professional Development, Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education. Most electronic contact thermometers can record temperatures from the forehead, mouth, armpit or rectum Otherwise, the temperature of your food or drink might affect the thermometer reading. Shake down the mercury in a glass thermometer before placing it under the tongue. Coronavirus vs. flu: Similarities and differences. If someone has an obvious fever they will be hot to the touch on chest or back and you will feel this most likely without needing a thermometer. a temp above 99 to 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit or 37.2 to 37.5 degrees Celsius, wrap it up in a Ziploc bag and throw it away, above 102 degrees Fahrenheit or 38.9 degrees Celsius, How to Check Your Exercise Form Without a Mirror, How to Get Checked for STDs Without Having to Face a Human Being, How To Open A Can Opener Without A Can Opener. You need to wait 15 minutes after eating or drinking to take an oral temperature. All rights reserved. Remote, or no contact, thermometers can measure body temperature without touching the skin. Whether you’re dealing with a sudden wave of chills and aches and pains, or you just feel *a little* hotter than usual, the desire to know if you have a fever ASAP is understandable. Read on to learn what to do if you’re feeling feverish, no matter your thermometer situation, with insight from immunology docs. 2020; doi:10.1109/IEMTRONICS51293.2020.9216444. For older children and adults, oral readings are usually accurate — as long as the mouth is closed while the thermometer is in place. Non-contact infrared versus axillary and tympanic thermometers in children attending primary care: a mixed-methods study of accuracy and acceptability. Does Emergen-C Work To Keep You From Getting Sick? The only way to know for sure that you have a fever (meaning a temp above 99 to 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit or 37.2 to 37.5 degrees Celsius) is by taking your temperature with a thermometer, confirms David Erstein, MD, an allergist and immunologist based in New York. Remote forehead thermometers use an infrared scanner to measure the temperature of the temporal artery in the forehead. Of course, before you pop a thermometer under your tongue, you’ll want to clean it. Environmental Protection Agency. A 2013 study found that this type of thermometer is as effective as a mercury-in-glass thermometer. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. 8th ed. There are a few ways you can check yourself. These thermometers can be used on the forehead, mouth, armpit or rectum. American Academy of Pediatrics. Remote thermometers can be used on the forehead (temporal artery) or the ear (tympanic). https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/fever/Pages/How-to-Take-a-Childs-Temperature.aspx. Parents may worry about causing discomfort when taking a child's temperature rectally. The non-contact handheld cutaneous infra-red thermometer for fever screening during the COVID-19 global emergency. When positioned properly, infrared ear thermometers are quick and generally comfortable for children and adults. 1. Fever: Pathogenesis and treatment. Mayo Clinic does not endorse any of the third party products and services advertised. Again, though, the only way to be totally sure your temperature’s off the charts is to use a thermometer. Rectal temperatures provide the most-accurate readings for infants, especially those 3 months or younger, as well as children up to age 3. Wait approximately five minutes (manual thermometer) or for the beep (digital thermometer).