Expected Course

• Viral bronchitis causes a cough for 2 to 3 weeks.
• Sometimes your child will cough up lots of phlegm (mucus).  The mucus can normally be gray, yellow or green.  
• Antibiotics are not helpful. Coughing up mucus is very important for protecting the lungs from pneumonia.
• We want to encourage a productive cough, not turn it off.