Chronic Wet Cough

LungSmart Team

The LungSmart team deliver a community-based education and health promotion program targeting wet cough in Aboriginal children. In many regional areas, ongoing wet cough in children has become normalised by both communities and health professionals. Our program aims to raise awareness amongst Indigenous communities, encouraging families to recognise symptoms and empowering them to seek healthcare. We also provide information to GPs and allied health workers on wet cough and the link to protracted bacterial bronchitis (PBB) and promote appropriate treatment guidelines.

What is Wet Cough?

A daily wet cough in a child for more than 4 weeks could indicate infection in the airways known as PBB. The ongoing infection and inflammation from untreated PBB can lead to irreversible lung damage, or bronchiectasis, which can impact on quality and duration of life. If wet cough is detected and managed early, bronchiectasis can be halted, limited, reversed or prevented. Usual treatment for PBB is 2-4 weeks of antibiotics.

The shared goal is to contribute to improved, equitable access to best practice respiratory health care for all WA children.

Make an Enquiry

Our LungSmart team travel all over WA to spread awareness of chronic wet cough, the causes and symptoms. Click below to inquire about a visit to your area or to access resources.

Chronic Wet Cough Resources

Let’s Stop That Cough Children’s Book

Let’s Stop That Cough is a free resource to share with communities to teach children about wet cough. Please reach out if you would like a copy. This project was made possible with generous support from Aurizon.

Chronic Wet Cough Flyer

Read our flyer to learn more about the LungSmart team and the chronic wet cough project.

Chronic Wet Cough Magnet

Our Let’s Stop That Cough! magnet allows families to track how long their child has had a wet cough. It includes the message, ‘if l’il one has wet cough for more than 4 weeks, get them to clinic’.

Lil One Got Wet Cough Long Time (The Kids Institute)

Community Resources

• The Kids Research Institute – Wet Cough
• Tackling Wet Cough in Children
• Lung Health Foundation
• BREATH – New podcast Listen now on Spotify
• How to Stop Chronic Lung Sickness Factsheet

Training

• Health Professional Education: Lung Health in First Nations Children
• Kids Institute BREATH Team

Research and News

• Lung health of Aboriginal children hospitalised with chest infections improved following co-designed intervention
• Study finds high rates of chronic lung disease in remote-living Aboriginal children
• News Article – A wet cough for four weeks means it’s time to get it checked out

Our Supporters

This program is made possible with support from the The Kids Institute BREATH team, and generous funding from Telethon and other supporters.

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we live and work today, and pay our respects to their Elders past and present.