** Thanks for contacting with your health concern 1. As the symptoms of throat irritation & cough are there for more than 1 week, so one should definitely consult a doctor for any underlying medical condition: i. consult an ENT specialist who will inspect the throat with a good torch and tongue depressor to exclude any other pathology. [pharyngitis, laryngitis, and bronchitis] ii. The choice of antibiotic will vary from doctor to doctor and from locality to locality and as the voice is still hoarse and throat scratchy, make sure to adopt certain guidelines till you get an appointment: - maintain good oral hygiene, rinse your mouth after every meal, avoid smoking, tobacco chewing. - Take mainly soft diet - rice, chapati, or phulka, with nonspicy vegetables. - Avoid fried foods like wada, samosa, dosa, pakodas, papad,namkeen and potato chips, avoid hotel food. . Do not take any cold drinks, cold water, ice cream, chilled food from the refrigerator. . Avoid sour fruits like citrus fruits, grapes, take sweet fruits- bananas, papaya . Steam Inhalation and warm salt water gargles. . Cover the mouth while coughing (using hand or handkerchief) to prevent the spread of infection to other family members. . vitamin C tablets and zinc supplements [zinc lozenges] iii. If a cough worsens or duration increases consult a chest specialist for an immediate chest x-ray and other blood investigations like: - Hb%, WBC for eosinophilia - X-ray chest for TB, Pneumonia