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Febrile seizure

A febrile seizure is a seizure during a fever, usually in young children. The child may jerk, stare, become floppy or briefly stop responding. It looks frightening, but a short simple febrile seizure often stops on its own and usually causes no lasting harm. Calm first aid is important: check the time, place your child on their side, loosen tight clothing, put nothing in their mouth and do not cool them in a bath or with water during the seizure. A first febrile seizure, one lasting longer than 5 minutes, repeated seizures, an asymmetric or one-sided seizure, or signs of meningitis need prompt medical assessment.

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  • A febrile seizure is a seizure during fever, usually in children aged about half a year to five years.
  • It often starts suddenly. A child may stiffen, jerk, roll their eyes or briefly stop responding.
  • Check the time immediately, place your child on their side and remove dangerous objects.
  • Put nothing in the mouth, do not restrain your child firmly and do not try to stop the seizure with water.
  • A first febrile seizure, one lasting longer than 5 minutes, several seizures close together or signs of meningitis need prompt medical help.

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