The assurance that there is a "good supply" of penicillin in the UK was given by Health Secretary Stephen Barkley, following warnings that there is a shortage of antibiotic drugs to deal with increased strep A infections.
Pharmacists questioned the feasibility of the government's plan under consideration to proactively administer antibiotics to pupils in schools where outbreaks of scarlet fever, the main manifestation of infection by the streptococcus A bacteria, are recorded.
Pharmacists have reported that there are insufficient amounts of antibiotics for such a plan.
The National Pharmacy Association has confirmed that there has been a sharp increase in demand for antibiotic drugs, including the penicillin-based ones used against strep throat.
"Pharmacies are having to work very hard to get stocks of these antibiotics and some supply lines are not available. We have been told by wholesalers that most of these lines will be replenished soon, but we cannot say exactly when this will happen," a statement from the association said.
The statements come after the name of the ninth victim of the infection, five-year-old Stella-Lily McCorkindale, who ended up in a Belfast children's hospital on Monday.
In the past 20 weeks there have been 9,772 cases of scarlet fever recorded in England and Wales, compared with only 1,255 cases reported in the same period last year.
[BR][BR]Scarlet fever is considered a relatively mild infection and is treated with antibiotics, however, in a few cases, such as those of the nine victims, the bacterium penetrates deeper into the body causing severe infection.
Source: CNA
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