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Published on: August 25, 2012
Population-level effects of suppressing fever
David J D Earn1, Paul W Andrews, Benjamin M Bolker
1Department of Mathematics and Statistics, McMaster University, , Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, M. G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, , Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, , Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Department of Biology, McMaster University, , Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Reducing fever with medication may increase infectious disease spread. Widespread use of antipyretics for fever could lead to more illness and deaths from infections like influenza.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Infectious Disease Transmission
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Fever is a common symptom of infectious diseases, often treated with antipyretic medications.
- Antipyretic use aims to alleviate discomfort but may have population-level consequences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential negative effect of fever suppression on the transmission of infectious diseases.
- To quantify the impact of antipyretic medication use on influenza transmission and outcomes in the US.
Main Methods:
- Assembled published data to estimate the effects of fever suppression on influenza transmission.
- Analyzed data for both seasonal and pandemic influenza scenarios.
Main Results:
- Fever suppression is estimated to increase the expected number of influenza cases and deaths.
- For pandemic influenza (R0=2.0), an estimated 1% increase in cases/deaths was observed.
- For seasonal influenza (R0=1.3), an estimated 5% increase in cases/deaths was observed.
Conclusions:
- Widespread antipyretic drug use may lead to increased illness and mortality at the population level.
- Reducing fever could inadvertently enhance the spread and impact of infections like influenza.
Related Concept Videos
Methods of reducing fever
Pharmacological Methods of Reducing Fever:
Increased Body Temperature
Patterns of Fever
Factors Affecting Body Temperature
Factors may include:
Types of Fever
Here are the different types of fever:
Homeostatic Imbalances in Body Temperature

