The Febrile child CPG has been updated by the CPG committee, with review and input from clinicians in NSW, Qld and Victoria, and has been endorsed by the Paediatric Improvement Collaborative (Sept 2022).  

 CPG key points  

1. Febrile neonates ≤28 days of corrected age require investigations (FBE, CRP, blood, urine and CSF cultures ± CXR) and empiric IV antibiotic therapy 
2. In Febrile infants >28 days of corrected age and <3 months, have a low threshold for investigation and treatment based on clinical appearance and presence (or absence) of a clinically obvious focus 
3. In infants <3 months of age, hypothermia or temperature instability can be signs of serious bacterial infection (or other serious illness) 
4. The severity of illness cannot be predicted by the degree of fever, its rapidity of onset, its response to antipyretics or the presence of febrile seizures; the appearance of the child is the most useful indicator