Q: My son will be completing 5 years this year. From birth, he is having recurring cold, cough and sometimes gets fever too. The doctor prescribes Pedex, Pedexs or sometimes an antibiotic course. This helps for 3-4 days but again after a week its back to square one. He has been tested twice for TB, which is negative. He is also on homeopathic for the last 2 years but there has not been any visible improvement. The doctor mentioned that children tend to have this problem till about age 6. Is this true?

A:Four-five episodes of upper respiratory infections per year are usual at this age. These usually comprise of cough and running nose with or without fever. These episodes usually last for 2-7 days and subside on their own. No antibiotics are required for their management. All that is needed is paracetamol for fever, and saline nasal drops in case of nasal block. However, if your child has any of the following - persistent nasal block leading to mouth breathing, snoring while sleeping or hearing loss, complications that may sometimes develop in children with recurrent upper respiratory infections - he may require an ENT evaluation.