Scarlet fever cases rise tenfold as parents struggle to find Strep A antibiotics

Scarlet fever cases have surged by tenfold in a year, official data shows, as pharmacists grapple with a shortage of antibiotics during a Strep A outbreak.

Strep A bacteria usually only causes mild illness, including scarlet fever and strep throat, which is treated with antibiotics. But in rare cases, it can progress into a potentially life-threatening disease if it gets into the bloodstream.

Infections are higher than normal for this time of year, and at least nine children have died after contracting the bacteria in recent weeks.

Pharmacists say they are struggling to get their hands on antibiotics to treat Strep A infections – despite the government insisting there is no shortage.

“We are worried because we are having to turn patients away,” Dr Leyla Hannbeck, the head of the Association of Multiple Pharmacies (AIMP), told The Independent.

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New data from the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) showed a huge rise in scarlet fever cases in England and Wales from last year, with 23,000 cases recorded in the year to date, compared to just 2,300 for the same period in 2021.

Infections for the final half of the year were also more than three times higher than the average for the previous five.

Scarlet fever usually only causes mild illness with symptoms such as a fever and rash. Early treatment with antibiotics is important to reduce the risk of complications such as pneumonia or a bloodstream infection.

But pharmacists have said they are struggling to get their hands on antibiotics such as penicillin, which are used to treat Strep A infections.

Dr Hannbeck told The Independent there has been high demand for antibiotics over the past month – but pharmacists have been told medicines are out of stock when they go to order them.

Sometimes they are forced to turn patients with prescriptions away. Other times, they call the doctor and ask for an alternative – but then these different antibiotics start being depleted, she said.

“The department hasn’t really been prepared for it. They’ve seen the levels of prescriptions being prescribed but unfortunately there is no planning to get the supply to match the demand,” she said.

She said the issue was on a large scale. “Everywhere in this country we just cannot get the supply of antibiotics we need.”

These medicines are one of the most prescribed medicines for children during winter when bacterial infections spread, Dr Hannbeck said, even without the increase in Strep A cases.

“Am I concerned about this? Of course I am. Both as a pharmacist, a health professional, and also as a mum,” she said.

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Parents told The Independent they have struggled to find antibiotics for suspected or confirmed cases of Strep A infections.

Ayşe Zarakol, a mother from Cambridge, spent Wednesday morning searching for antibiotics for her 12-year-old son, who had been diagnosed with strep throat – an infection caused by Strep A bacteria that makes throats feel sore and scratchy – the previous day.

“I went to our local neighbourhood pharmacies and then to Well, Boots and Superdrug. None of them had penicillin and a few of them said there was a national stock shortage so they could not even order,” she told The Independent.

Her husband, who works in London, was also trying to source antibiotics on a private prescription, but was having the same difficulty.

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Richard Jones, a father from Coventry, told The Independent his nine-year-old son was prescribed antibiotics with a suspected case of scarlet fever. He tried at least eight other pharmacies until he finally found some penicillin.

On Wednesday, the health secretary denied there was a national shortage problem for antibiotics despite warnings from pharmacists.

Steve Barclay told Sky News: “I checked with the team last night – we have an established team in the department that does this on a permanent basis –and they reassured me we have good supply. The medical suppliers are required to notify us if they’ve got shortages.

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“Now, sometimes, GPs can have particular surges if they’ve got a lot of demand in an area, and that’s quite routine, we can move the stock around our depots.”

This was echoed by Rishi Sunak in Prime Minister’s Questions, who said there was “no shortage of drugs available” to treat Strep A and “well-established procedures in place” to ensure this remains the case.

He said there has been a higher number of cases than normal this year – but UKHSA has confirmed it is not a new strain of the bacteria.

“There is no reason to believe that it has become more lethal and more resistant to antibiotics, so the most important thing for parents to do is look out for the symptoms and get the treatment that is available for them,” the prime minister said.

Nick Kaye from the National Pharmacy Association said on Tuesday night there had been some “blips in the supply chain” around the liquid form of the penicillin antibiotic. “There are second line and other antibiotics that can be used,” he said.

But a pharmacist in the southeast, who wanted to stay anonymous, told The Independent she was experiencing a “complete shortage” of penicillin – as well as two other types, amoxicillin and flucloxacillin, being “very hit and miss”.

“We’re having people phone us constantly asking if we have any in stock and we’re having to say no every time. People are coming in with prescriptions and saying they can’t get it anywhere else and we’re the last resort but the answer is still no,” she said.

Dr Hannbeck told The Independent there needed to be “honesty” with the public about the current difficulties.

The Department for Health and Social Care has been approached for comment.