Cough
A cough is often a simple infection, but it can also be a sign of pneumonia, TB, asthma or a heart problem.
Get emergency help now if any of these are true
- Struggling to breathe, or too breathless to speak a full sentence
- Blue or grey lips or face
- Coughing up a lot of blood
- Severe chest pain with breathlessness
- A child who is drowsy, not feeding, or pulling in the skin between the ribs
If you are unsure, treat it as an emergency. Find your country's emergency number.
See a health worker or doctor today if
- Cough with fever, chest pain or fast breathing
- Cough lasting more than 2 weeks, especially with night sweats or weight loss (possible TB — get tested)
- Coughing up small amounts of blood or rust-coloured phlegm
- You have HIV, diabetes, asthma or heart disease and the cough has changed
If it gets worse, or does not get better
- A cough that lasts more than 2 weeks needs a TB test, even if you feel otherwise well.
- If breathing becomes hard or fast at any point, treat it as an emergency.
- Return sooner if fever comes back after it had settled.
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