When children experience a high fever, they may lose consciousness, convulse, foam at the mouth, and their face may turn pale. Parents often panic, and incorrect responses can put the child in danger. Doctor Hoang Minh Tien, from the Pediatrics Department at Benh vien Da khoa Tam Anh Ha Noi, advises parents to equip themselves with knowledge to avoid missteps that could lead to suffocation or injury.

**Inserting objects into the child's mouth**

Parents may attempt to insert an object into the child's mouth, fearing the child might bite their tongue during a seizure. However, children's teeth and tongues are rarely injured during a seizure. Inserting hard objects, such as a spoon or chopsticks, or even soft items like a towel or a finger, can cause broken teeth, choking on foreign objects, oral mucosal damage, or airway obstruction. In some cases, the child may accidentally bite an adult's finger, leading to bleeding and cross-infection.

**Restraining limbs or shaking the body vigorously**

During a seizure, a child's nervous system is temporarily disrupted. Using force to restrain their limbs can cause dislocations, fractures, or spinal injuries, especially in young children whose bones are softer. Shaking the child vigorously to "wake them up" is dangerous; it can lead to brain damage, hemorrhage, or twisting forces affecting the neck and spine. According to Doctor Tien, any attempt to awaken the child at this moment is futile.

**Carrying the child to seek help**

Moving a child while they are convulsing increases the risk of them hitting walls, tables, or chairs. A child needs to be placed on a flat, open surface, away from hard or sharp objects. Carrying them only makes the seizure more chaotic and makes it difficult to ensure airway safety.

**Applying folk remedies like lemon juice, fish sauce, or ginger**

Doctor Tien states that these are folk remedies intended to "stop seizures" in children, but they have no medical value. Furthermore, such actions can easily cause the child to choke, experience mouth burns, mucosal damage, or infection. The most severe consequence is a foreign object or liquid entering the trachea, leading to acute respiratory failure while the child is already struggling to breathe due to the seizure.

**Applying leaves or full-body cold compresses**

Applying leaves, full-body cold compresses, or ice to reduce fever can trigger vasoconstriction and shivering, which can paradoxically increase the internal body temperature. Overly cold compresses can cause cold burns and lead to sudden heat loss on the skin, without improving the fever. The appropriate method for reducing fever is to wipe the child's body with warm water, avoiding ice, alcohol, or methods that cause thermal shock.

**Giving fever reducers immediately**

Giving a child fever medication or water immediately while a seizure is ongoing or before the child is fully conscious is dangerous. The child loses control of their swallow reflex, so any liquid introduced into the mouth at this time can cause choking, airway obstruction, or aspiration pneumonia. Medication should only be given once the child is fully conscious and able to swallow. Parents can use rectal fever reducers as an alternative to oral medication.

**Failing to monitor the seizure**

Due to panic, parents may focus on other actions and forget to observe the seizure's start and end times. In medicine, determining how long a seizure lasts is important for identifying if a child is at risk of prolonged seizures or epilepsy. A simple seizure typically stops within 5 minutes. If it lasts longer, the child needs immediate medical attention to receive anticonvulsant medication promptly.

**Delaying the hospital visit**

Many believe that a seizure will resolve on its own and do not take the child to the hospital. If a child vomits repeatedly, is lethargic, has a headache, stiff neck, or experiences multiple seizures within 24 hours, parents must immediately take them to the hospital. Self-treatment at home can delay the diagnosis of serious conditions such as encephalitis, meningitis, sepsis, or certain types of epilepsy.

**Over-warming the child after a seizure**

After a seizure subsides, parents may believe the child needs to be kept warm to prevent cold, leading them to bundle the child up. At this point, body heat cannot escape, causing the fever to rise and increasing the risk of seizure recurrence. Keep the room airy and dress the child in light, sweat-absorbent clothing.

Doctor Tien advises that the correct response to a feverish seizure is to place the child on their side in a safe area, loosen their clothing, avoid inserting anything into their mouth, refrain from restraining their limbs, and monitor the seizure's duration. Families should take the child to the hospital if the seizure is prolonged or if the child shows any unusual signs. Once the child is conscious, they can be cooled with warm water and given fever-reducing medication according to their weight.

Thanh Ba