AKT-0614

AKT-0614

You are seeing a 4-year-old child who has been brought back to the clinic one afternoon having been seen by a colleague in the morning.

You review the notes from this morning’s consultation which show that the child presented with a fever and malaise and that a suspected viral infection was diagnosed and advice given accordingly. The mother reports that the child has become increasingly drowsy and hasn’t really drunk anything since being seen earlier. Despite regular paracetamol a fever has persisted.

You examine the child who is clearly lethargic. Tympanic temperature is 38.1°C. The child is undressed and you find several non-blanching spots on the lower legs.

The clinical record states that the child is allergic to penicillin; you ask the mother who says that when he was given it in the past for a sore throat he came out in a rash on his trunk which resolved when the antibiotics were stopped.

What is the most appropriate initial treatment to institute acutely in the community?