My child has a cough, to which our gp said was a trachear infection. 1 week course of antibiotics and he is still no better with this cough ?

Germs dead vs well: The inflammatory reaction & extra drainage triggered by infection will cause a child to cough.It is a protective mechanism to bring up debris & mucous that are part of the infection. As you begin to kill off the germs, the process may worsen for a while as the dead debris is removed, followed by slow improvement. It in not unusual for these kids to cough for a few weeks after treatment starts.

Re-check with GP: At times, the most plausible cause is not always the real cause. It may be a virus in which case anti-bx would not help, it may be post nasal drip, allergy mediated, etc. For continuity of care, let your gp know your child is not better and these other possibilities can be addressed. Good luck.

M.D. visit: Bacterial tracheitis is treatable and takes time to resolve. If there is no improvement, then further assessment is needed. Your physician may elect to obtain a culture and switch antibtiotics. It is important that coverage include strep and staph. Sometimes bacteria are resistant and the cultures will help to identify these causes.