Pharmacies warn of local shortages of 4 antibiotic treatments as Strep A cases soar
PHARMACIES are facing shortages of several antibiotics used to treat killer Strep A in kids.
It comes as the Health Secretary warns there are no long-term supply problems, though he admitted some pharmacists may experience shortages while stock is moved around.
Steve Barclay told : "As of last night when we checked (with suppliers), they said they could reassure us that they've got good stock."
However, pharmacists struggling to get the drugs told The Sun they fear real ongoing shortages mean some children are missing out on life-saving medications.
One parent of a child who died believes her seven-year-old daughter would still be alive if she had been given the right treatment.
It comes as GPs have been told to lower the threshold for prescribing antibiotics to kids presenting with symptoms of group A streptococcal infections.
Read more on strep a
This means demand for the drugs has gone "through the roof", experts have said.
Strep A can cause many health issues, most of which are mild and can be treated with antibiotics.
In very rare cases, the bug can develop into invasive group A Strep, which so far has claimed the lives of nine children over the last few weeks.
Supplies of two first line treatments: phenoxymethylpenicillin, or penicillin V and amoxicillin are patchy across the country, according to pharmacists.
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Some pharmacists are also finding it impossible to get hold of clarithromycin, which is used for children and adults with a penicillin allergy and azithromycin, another treatment for the bug.
Sri Kanaparthy, whose pharmacy is in Durham, told The Sun he had been forced turn away two patients with the antibiotic prescriptions as he struggles to get enough of the drugs into his store.
"Unless the Government start to acknowledge this shortage and work towards resolving it, we are sadly going to see more preventable deaths in the coming weeks," he said.
Pharmacy owner Ashley Cohen, whose based in Yorkshire, argued the Government appears to be out of touch with what is happening on the ground.
"There many be antibiotics in some places in the UK [...] but if we're having to order stocks from far away it could take 2-3 days for stocks to arrive which is critical time lost if a patient requires the drugs now."
What are the symptoms of invasive group A Strep?
There are four key signs of Group Strep A to watch out for, according to the NHS. These are:
- A fever (meaning a high temperature above 38°C)
- Severe muscle aches
- Localised muscle tenderness
- Redness at the site of a wound
The invasive version of the disease happens when the bacteria break through the body's immune defences.
This can happen if you're already feeling unwell or have an immune system that’s weakened.
Martin Sawer, executive director of the Healthcare Distribution Association, told the Sun there was "no date" on when the medicine stocks would meet the new demand.
"The demand for antibiotics used to treat Strep A has gone through the roof," he said.
Some larger pharmacy chains are bulk ordering and stripping stocks, Martin explained.
"One large pharmacy ordered a months' worth of antibiotics in just one day this week," he said.
"Until now doctors have been discouraged from prescribing antibiotics because antimicrobial resistance and suddenly manufacturers are having to make far more.
"It's going to take some time for this new demand to be met."
Health minister Maria Caulfield said a cross-party briefing had been held for MPs on Strep A, and she denied there was a shortage of antibiotics.
She said: "We want to reassure parents if their children do have symptoms, and they are concerned to seek help - GPs are ready, A&E departments are ready, and also we have directors of public health proactively going into schools where there are cases.
"There is no shortage of antibiotics we want to reassure people on that, and we're keeping an eye on that on a daily basis."
Meanwhile, tests for Strep A have largely sold out online after thousands of worried parents stripped the shelves.
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None of the at-home kits are currently available on Amazon, eBay or on a number of online pharmacies as of Tuesday evening.
Q&A with Sun' Dr Jeff Foster
Q) What is Strep A?
A) Group A Streptococcus is the name of a bacteria which can cause different infections and is commonly found in children under the age of ten.
Every year doctors will see a lot of children with suspected Strep A. You can get mild cases where you might not even know what it is because they would just have a temperature and a sore throat.
It can become scarlet fever which you can spot if your children develops a rash. It looks like sandpaper and develops around four or five days after the temperature starts.
The child would also get red flushing cheeks.
Q) What is invasive Group A Strep or iGAS?
A) In very rare cases the bacteria can get invade parts of the body including the blood, muscles or lungs.
Early signs and symptoms of such disease include a high fever, severe muscle aches, pain in one area of the body, redness at the site of a wound and vomiting or diarrhoea.
Q) How does it spread?
A) It is spread by droplets and close contact — through your spit, sneezing, coughing and touching infected surfaces.
It is passed on in the same way as a common cold.
Q) Why has there been such an increase in cases?
A) It is believed to be because during Covid lockdowns young children were not mixing which would usually help to build up the immune system.
If you are constantly exposed to a little bit of Group A Strep and similar bacteria then your immune system would be ready and would nail it when it comes back into contact.
Q) How is it treated?
A) Scarlet fever and impetigo, which are both caused by Strep A, can be treated with antibiotics.
Mild cases which cause a sore throat or a high temperature will usually clear up on their own