Typically, a week. However, “a residual cough after a viral upper respiratory infection can occasionally last as long as two weeks,” Dr. Majlesi says. Sometimes it can stretch on longer than that.
A non-smoker whose persistent cough was dismissed as a chest infection was shocked to discover he actually had lung cancer. Dave Marcus, 57, even suffered a hernia due to the constant coughing. But ...
especially if the cough is severe or if the cough lingers after the infection has resolved. Bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics. Viral infections don't get any better with antibiotics ...