An Inverness mum spent hours driving to eight pharmacies across the city before finding antibiotics for her five-year-old son with suspected Strep A.
The woman said as she grew increasingly concerned she was preparing to travel outside Inverness to find the medicine.
After hunting all over the city, she eventually found the medicine at the eighth pharmacy she visited.
Her son’s test for Strep A came back negative but he still required the penicillin for a throat infection.
Strep A infections increasing
The woman, who has asked not to be named, said she worries the shortage of antibiotics will put a strain on people at a time when infections caused by Group A streptococcus (GAS) have been increasing.
The First Minister said alternative antibiotics may have to be found as a supply alert was issued following a “sharp increase” in demand for drugs.
She said she visited a GP after her son had been ill for a few days with fever, headache, sore throat and swollen glands and tongue. He was also lethargic and not eating.
She was advised he had suspected Strep A and was required to start a course of antibiotics.
But she was told at a succession of pharmacies that the medicine was not available, with no date provided for when it would be.
Over the course of two hours, she drove to pharmacies in Ballifeary, Culloden, Inverness Retail Park, Inshes, Hilton, Eastgate, Greig Street and Lochardil.
The mother said guidance for schools meant children with suspected Strep A must stay off until 24 hours after they have started antibiotics.
“But if you can’t get the antibiotics, you can’t go back to school. With the amount of Strep A going about it puts a bit of a strain on people.
“I was lucky, I was able to drop my son off with his dad. You don’t want to be trailing around pharmacies with a sick child.
“And what if you don’t have transport to do that anyway?
Shortage of treatment a worry for parents
“If you’ve someone with a few children and it’s spreading between them, you could end up with two or three kids all needing antibiotics.
“It’s a worry for other parents when this is so rife and it being so contagious.
“If you can’t get the antibiotics started you can’t go to school. But how many people can’t get the antibiotics and just put their kids to school anyway and it just spreads like wildfire?
We were told we did not have a shortage, well clearly we do.”
Last week health secretary Humza Yousaf said there was “no shortage of supply” of the antibiotics needed to treat Strep A.
However, the woman said: “We were told we did not have a shortage, well clearly we do.
“The experience I had, where pharmacies say they are out of stock and can’t get it in, suggests to me there is a shortage or a supply issue.”
Manufacturers working ‘at speed’ to replenish antibiotic stock
A Scottish Government spokesman said the health secretary has sought assurances from the UK Government about the supply of antibiotics.
“They have advised that while there is adequate supply of antibiotics to treat Strep A in the UK, we are seeing a sharp increase in demand for certain types of antibiotics – in particular liquid preparations – because of the recent rise in cases and this is causing temporary shortages in some localised areas.”
He said wholesalers and manufacturers are working “at speed” to replenish stocks and it is planned to increase manufacturing of antibiotics.
In the meantime, doctors and pharmacists have been advised on alternatives, such as crushing or dissolving tablets, or prescribing equivalents.
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