Chief pharmaceutical officer warns local chemists are running out of antibiotics amid deadly Strep A outbreak

9 December 2022, 00:45 | Updated: 9 December 2022, 05:56

By Fran Way

@journofran

England's chief pharmaceutical officer has warned that local chemists are running short of antibiotics used to treat Strep A.

David Webb said that local pharmacies are facing a 'temporary interruption of supply' amid an outbreak of the deadly illness which has now caused the deaths of 15 children under the age of 15 in the UK.

The victims include little Muhammad Ibrahim Ali, 4, who died last month, and Stella-Lily McCorkindale, 5, who passed away on Monday after contracting the infection.

Strep A causes illnesses include skin infection impetigo, scarlet fever, and strep throat.

But while most infections are mild, the bacteria can sometimes cause a life-threatening illness called invasive Group A Streptococcal disease.

It comes as pharmacists have complained of a lack of antibiotics in recent days, including the liquid version of penicillin routinely used to fight off the bug.

In his letter, Mr Webb said: "Local pharmacy teams may be experiencing a temporary interruption of supply of some relevant antibiotics due to increased demand."

However, he added: "On a national level, sufficient stock exists for the NHS."

Health Secretary Steve Barclay insisted on Wednesday that checks within the Department of Health have not revealed an issue with supply of the medicines.

However, the National Pharmacy Association has pointed to 'blips' in the supply chain of liquid penicillin, while the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies said pharmacists across the country were struggling to source all they need.

Since September, the UKHSA said there had been 652 reports of the invasive form of the disease, which is higher than during the same period over the last five years.

Figures show that cases of Scarlet Fever remain at much higher levels than normal.

New data for England shows the death count since September has risen to 13.

The other two deaths were recorded in Wales and Northern Ireland.

It's thought the rise in cases is because of large amounts of bacteria and increased social mixing, the UKHSA added.