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«We come to the ER because the child has a fever.

About 38 and a half, I have put my hand on his forehead and it feels very hot, "a mother assured me recently.

I am not going to argue that a mother's hands are, on occasions, the best thermometer that exists, even approaching tenths of a fever.

But in case, unfortunately, those hands are too far away and they find it necessary to buy a thermometer, they will be able to see that

there is a dizzying range of models

on the market

of all possible shapes, sizes and prices

, and decide on one or the other. it may not be easy.

If you are in that position, or if you simply want to know more about the world of measuring body temperature, I invite you to continue reading.

I promise your fever won't rise.

Is it possible to get a mercury thermometer?

In all of Europe, and with the exception

of the second-hand

online

market

, it is not possible.

Years ago, the ban on the sale of any measuring device with mercury came into force due to its high danger to public health.

Despite this, in many homes in our country they are still preserved and used.

Should I get rid of the mercury ones?

If you are one of those who still use them, yes you should.

The risk of it breaking is high, and the options for safely disposing of the mercury it contains are few.

In case of breakage,

we will never touch it with our bare hands or throw it down the sink or toilet

, and we will properly ventilate the room as it is extremely toxic.

If you still have one at home, the safest thing is that you take it to a clean point where they will take care of managing it properly.

Were mercury thermometers more reliable than current ones?

Despite being a fairly widespread belief, since the 90s studies have been carried out comparing the missing thermometers with other digital ones, and no significant differences in measurement have been observed between them.

Most likely, this belief is due more to the difficulties that the introduction of the new technology represents and above all to its incorrect handling (incorrect positioning of the sensor, environmental alterations ...).

Is there some kind of thermometer similar to the mercury ones?

If in spite of everything you are one of those who still miss mercury thermometers and do not get used to the ones that work with batteries, you are in luck.

For a few years we have had

gallium thermometers

, which have come to replace mercury ones.

Aesthetically they are the same as them and the operation is the same,

the difference is inside

: they contain galistan, an alloy of gallium, indium and tin that gives it high precision.

The downside remains the same: it takes about four minutes to give the measurement result and they can break relatively easily.

Are rectal thermometers recommended?

They are the best option in babies, and the way to measure the temperature is very simple.

We lightly lubricate the tip with petroleum jelly, put the baby on his back, lift his thighs and introduce the thermometer between 1 and 2 centimeters.

When we choose this form of measurement, we will take into account that since it is an internally measured temperature, the final value will be between 0.5 and 1ºC higher than the axillary one.

What are the most recommended thermometers?

Taking into account factors such as ease of use, price and accuracy, the most recommended thermometers for home use are:

- Those of

gallium

, of which I have spoken previously.

- The

axillary digits

with a rigid or flexible tip.

- The

temporal artery electronics

.

Yes, these are the pistol-shaped thermometers that have become so popular in recent months due to the pandemic.

They can be used

from 3 months of age and in adults

, they are very fast and comfortable, and they have a fairly high reliability.

Their use as a screening method to determine whether or not they have a normal body temperature is not accepted, but they are not recommended to make a definitive measurement of fever since the result can be altered by multiple factors.

What are the least recommended thermometers?

Taking into account factors such as ease of use, price, and accuracy, the thermometers that I would least recommend for domestic use are:

-

The pacifier ones

.

A temperature gauge built into a pacifier to obtain the baby's oral temperature while sucking.

-

The plastic strip ones

.

A strip that adheres to the skin and changes color according to the temperature it detects.

-

Ear electronics

.

They are reliable, but their main drawback is that they require sufficient dexterity to direct the sensor exactly towards the eardrum and not towards the wall of the ear, not counting the possibility of earwax covering the tympanic membrane and then giving us a totally wrong value.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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