Children's Health

Do coughing spasms cause your child to turn blue or purple, but his or her color returns to normal when coughing stops?

Does your baby younger than age 3 months have spasms that cause vomiting after coughing spells?

Does your baby younger than age 3 months seem more sleepy than usual?

Is your child coughing up bloody sputum (mucus from the lungs with more than just an occasional streak of blood)?

Does your child make a harsh, high-pitched sound when he or she breathes in (stridor)?

Does your baby younger than age 3 months have a cough and a change in eating habits?

Has your child older than age 3 months had several spasms that caused vomiting after coughing spells?

Does your child have a barking cough with signs of mild difficulty breathing?

Does your child have an occasional streak of blood in his or her sputum (bloody mucus from the lungs, not bleeding from the nose or the back of the throat)?

Has your baby younger than age 3 months had a cough for longer than 24 hours?

Has your child had a barking cough for 24 hours or longer but does not have other signs of difficulty breathing?

Has your child had a productive cough for longer than 24 hours?

Has your child older than age 3 months had a cough for longer than 3 weeks?

If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.

Does your child have a sore throat with a hoarse or muffled voice, or a feeling of swelling in his or her throat?

Is your child breathing more rapidly than normal?

Does your child sometimes have to stop to catch his or her breath while eating?

Does your child sometimes use his or her abdominal muscles to breathe?

If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.

Does your baby younger than age 3 months have a temperature of or higher?

Do you think your baby younger than age 3 months has a fever, but you are unable to measure his or her temperature?

Does your child older than age 3 months have a temperature of or higher?

Do you think your child older than age 3 months has a high fever, but you are unable to measure his or her temperature?

Does your child have a fever and a health problem that may put him or her at higher risk of having a serious problem?

Does your child have a temperature higher than that has not come down after 12 hours of home treatment and medicine?

Do you think your child older than age 3 months has a moderate fever, but you are unable to measure his or her temperature?

Does your child have a recurrent or ongoing fever without an obvious cause after traveling outside your own country in the last 6 weeks?

Does your child have a temperature of or higher that has not come down after 24 hours of home treatment and medicine?

Do you think your child has had a mild fever for 24 hours or longer, but you are unable to measure his or her temperature?

If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.

Does your child have new wheezing after a choking episode?

Does your child have new wheezing with moderate difficulty breathing?

Does your child have wheezing, a cough, and a fever?

Is your child's wheezing becoming worse despite using treatment recommended by a doctor?

Has your baby age 3 months or younger had new wheezing for longer than 1 hour without other symptoms?

Does your child have new wheezing with mild difficulty breathing?

Does your child's wheezing occur without other symptoms?

If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.

Did your child's difficulty breathing begin after taking a medicine?

Did your child's symptoms begin after taking a medicine?Note: Call the doctor who prescribed the medicine the same day (before the next dose) to determine whether your child should stop taking the medicine or take a different one. An appointment may not be necessary.If your child is taking a nonprescription medicine, do not give your child another dose. If you feel your child needs to continue taking the medicine, call your child's doctor.

If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.

Have your child's symptoms become worse after 24 hours of antibiotic treatment?

Have your child's symptoms not improved after 72 hours of treatment?

Has your child developed a rash while taking antibiotics?

Has your child developed severe diarrhea?

Has your child developed vomiting that limits his or her ability to take the antibiotics as ordered?

If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.

Does your child have thick yellow nasal drainage and is acting sicker than you would expect for 24 hours or longer?

Does your baby younger than age 3 months have a runny, stuffy nose that interferes with eating or sleeping?

Has your child had thick yellow nasal drainage for 5 to 6 days?

Does your child have a runny nose, persistent sneezing, and watery eyes without other cold symptoms?

If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.

You have answered "Yes" to a question that indicates you may need immediate care. Call your health professional now to discuss your symptoms and arrange for your care.

• Symptoms are likely to worsen without medical care.
• If you do not have a health professional, seek emergency care.
• Emergency transportation is not needed. However, if you are not able to travel safely either by driving yourself or having someone else drive you, call an ambulance.

You do not need to answer any of the other questions.

You have answered "Yes" to a question that indicates you need to call your health professional to discuss your symptoms and arrange for care.

• An appointment today is usually needed.
• Symptoms are unlikely to improve without medical care.

Return to the Check Your Symptoms section and answer the questions. You may need to see a health professional sooner if you have other more serious symptoms.

You have answered "Yes" to a question that indicates you may wait to see if your symptoms improve over the next 24 hours (or the specified time period). If symptoms improve, no appointment is needed.

• If symptoms do not improve after 24 hours (or the specified time period), an appointment within the next 24 hours is usually needed.
• If appropriate, try home treatment to relieve your symptoms.
• Check your symptoms in 24 hours, or sooner if there is any change.
• Call your health professional if symptoms get worse.

Return to the Check Your Symptoms section and answer the questions. You may need to see a health professional sooner if you have other more serious symptoms.