Chest infections

Chest infections can be caused by viruses or bacteria. Antibiotics will only be effective in those cases caused by bacteria. Green or yellow phlegm on coughing indicates a bacterial infection and in these cases antibiotics will be prescribed.
If your child is very unwell they may be admitted to hospital and given antibiotics straight in to the vein. They may also need intravenous fluids if they aren’t drinking enough. Some children need extra oxygen to help them breathe and later, physiotherapy to help them clear the lungs as they start to get better.

Why are antibiotics not given to everyone with a chest infection?

Doctors try to limit the use of antibiotics. This is because bacteria are evolving all the time and new types are developing which are resistant to antibiotics. If children have been prescribed antibiotics unnecessarily and they then become seriously ill with a bacterial infection, there may not be an effective antibiotic to treat them with. Likewise, if your doctor feels that your child’s illness is caused by a virus he/she will not prescribe antibiotics.

In a way, it is good for your child’s immune system to clear bugs from the body of its own accord. In this way, when it next meets that same bug it remembers and can clear it from the body more quickly, thus preventing your child getting ill a second or third time. This is how children build up their own immune systems.

What if my child carries on coughing for a long time?

Some chest infections – particularly those caused by viruses in little babies – can make people cough for weeks after the acute illness is over. If this is the case and your child is troubled by the symptoms you should take them back to see the doctor.

Some infections leave children with a wheeze for some time after the initial illness. Again, take your child to see the doctor if they’re troubled and he/she may prescribe some inhaler medication. This does not necessarily mean your child has asthma – a wheeze can sometimes be caused by the infection itself and may settle over time.

For more information: see childhood asthma