Pharmacists can supply two other alternative penicillin medications to ensure there is enough medication to treat cases of strep A.
These are cases of scarlet fever, which is caused by Streptococcus A bacteria, are three times the normal rate – causing temporary shortages for some chemists.
The SSPs (severe shortage protocols) now cover a total of five drugs, adding to the three released earlier this week, with one tablet now on the Department of Health’s list.
This means that pharmacists can provide an alternative form of penicillin without the patient having to return to a GP if the one they have been prescribed is out of stock.
PHCs are standard procedure for managing temporary supply issues, health chiefs say.
At least 19 children across the UK have now died from invasive Strep A (also known as iSGA), a more serious form of the infection that enters parts of the body such as the lungs and the bloodstream.
However, the vast majority of cases can be easily treated and are relatively mild, with common symptoms such as a sore throat, rash, and fever.
Professor Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said she had been told of just over 7,500 cases of scarlet fever – but the figure was “probably understated”. valued”.
“We’ve had a lot of reports over the past few days so we expect it to be even higher,” she told the BBC’s Today program on Saturday.
“That’s regarding three times higher than at the same point in a normal season,” she said.
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“The last bad season we had in 2017 and 18. And in invasive Group A Strep cases, we’re over half of what we would normally see in an average season.
“We’ve seen 111 cases in children between the ages of one and four and 74 cases in children between the ages of five and nine.”
Official UKHSA figures for England and Wales show 1,702 cases of scarlet fever were reported in the week ending December 11, up from 1,352 the previous week, 1,044 the previous week and 960 cases the week ending November 20 – a nearly doubling of cases in a month.
The latest weekly figure for iGAS cases was 15, down from 10 the previous week.
Professor Hopkins stressed that most children had mild illness and said she had an “open mind” as to why infections were so high.
Other experts have suggested that this may be due to the fact that there is less immunity due to reduced mixing during COVID lockdowns.
Parents are advised to have their children vaccinated with the nasal flu spray, as areas that are already rolling it out have a lower rate of strep A cases.
Professor Hopkins said people with flu infections are more likely to get a secondary infection, with children who catch the flu often being at higher risk of contracting strep A.
Children under school age can get the vaccination from their GP, while school children can get it through the school vaccination service.
The SSP penicillin list now includes:
- Phenoxymethylpenicillin 125mg/5ml oral solution
- Phenoxymethylpenicillin 125mg/5ml sugar-free oral solution
- Phenoxymethylpenicillin 250mg/5ml oral solution
- Phenoxymethylpenicillin 250mg/5ml sugar-free oral solution
- Phenoxymethylpenicillin tablets 250mg
