A POPULAR children’s medicine used to remedy flu-like symptoms is in very short supply, pharmacists have warned.
It comes as cases of childhood bugs surge across the country, including deadly Strep A.
GettySeveral cold and flu remedies are out of stock as cases of childhood viruses surge[/caption]
Calpol is “virtually non existent” in some pharmacies as demand for the drug has skyrocketed, The Sun has been told.
Mike Hewitson, a pharmacist from Somerset who is struggling to replenish stocks, said he had “never seen the situation this bad”.
Supplies of the medicine cabinet essential are very low, with 87 per cent of formulations of the drug marked as unavailable on the website of one main-like wholesaler.
Meanwhile, several other cold and flu medicines, such Night Nurse and Lemsip, are also out of stock, the Sun previously revealed.
Pharmacist Sri Kanaparthy, based in Durham, told The Sun shortages are causing a “dilemma” for many concerned parents with sick children.
“We always try and short out an alternative for the patient, but in some cases it’s not possible and we have to refer the patient back to the GP.
“This is a dilemma for those patients who cannot get a timely GP appointment,” he explained.
Ade Williams, a pharmacist in Bristol who acknowledged several drug shortages including Calpol, is concerned the ongoing medicines supply issues mean pharmacists are struggling to give enough time to patients.
“We’re trying to look after our patients but searching for medicines is very time and energy consuming,” he said.
Dr Leyla Hannbeck, of The Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, echoed Ade’s comments and said pharmacists were constantly “trouble shooting”.
“Pharmacists are struggling to obtain the very basic, most common cold and flu medicine,” she told PA.
“This isn’t just the branded medicines, it is also simple things like throat lozenges, cough mixtures or pain killers – particularly the ones that are soluble.
“The demand has been high because this season we’ve seen higher cases of colds and flu and people are obviously trying very hard to look after themselves and making sure that they use the relevant products to manage the symptoms.
Parents are asked to be on the lookout for winter illnesses as high levels of sickness are seen across the UK.
Parents being asked to keep their kids out of school if they are ill or have a high temperature as flu and Covid infections soar.
The UKHSA also urged parents to ensure eligible children get a flu vaccine.
Parents are asked to be on the lookout for winter illnesses as high levels of sickness are seen across the UK.
Medics have warned that these levels are only going to continue to increase, along with high numbers of scarlet fever, which is caused by Group A streptococcus, also being reported.
There have been at least 30 child deaths from invasive Strep A since September.
A highly contagious new Covid variant XBB.1.5 is also on the rise in the UK which is now responsible for one in 25 cases.