Before going to the emergency room for fever, gastroenteritis or mild flu symptoms

We recommend a trip to the emergency in the following cases:

• Your child is having trouble breathing (for example, he is breathing faster than normal; he is pale; his lips turn white or blue; he is coughing non-stop, choking or breathing irregularly).
• Your child is hurt and may have a broken bone or need stitches.
• Your child hurt himself and is now vomiting.
• Your infant (under three months old) has a fever over 38°C or 100.4°F.
• Your child is feverish and drowsy, and you are having trouble waking him up.
• Your child has a rash and his skin doesn't turn white if you press on it.
• Your child is vomiting and has diarrhea, is not producing tears, has a very dry mouth and has not urinated more than 2-3 times in the last 24 hours.

Parents are urged to consult their pediatrician or family doctor for anything other than a true emergency (as described above).

The classification method used by the triage nurse in order to determine your child’s priority level is based on a five-level scale according to the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS).