What causes a fever (high temperature)?
• Viral infections are the common cause. Virus infections cause many common illnesses such as colds, coughs, ‘flu, diarrhoea, etc. Sometimes virus infections cause more serious illnesses. • Bacterial infections are less common than viral infections, but also cause fevers. Bacteria are more likely to cause serious illness such as pneumonia, urine and kidney infections, septicaemia and meningitis. • Other types of infection are uncommon causes of a high temperature in the UK.
