Pharmacies heads warn of a shortage of cough and cold medicines amid the “high level” of winter diseases | UK News

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Pharmacy chiefs have warned of shortages of cough and cold medicine, as some pharmacists struggle to get hold of very basic supplies.

Throat lozenges, cough mixtures and some pain relievers are among the over-the-counter medications in short supply, according to the Association of Independent Polyclinics.

The industry group has warned of supply problems for both branded and non-branded medicines to treat seasonal ailments.

It comes after the UK’s Health Security Agency warned that winter illnesses, including influenza and COVID-19, were continuing to spread at “high levels”.

Officials urged sick adults to wear face masks to stop the spread of infection, while parents were urged to keep children with fevers out of school.

Chief Executive Leila Hanbeck told the Palestinian News Agency that pharmacists are “struggling to obtain the most basic and common cold and flu medicine.”

She said: “These aren’t just branded medicines, they’re also simple things like throat lozenges, cough mixtures or pain relievers – especially dissolvable ones.

“The demand has been high because this season we have seen higher cases of colds and flu and it is clear that people are trying very hard to take care of themselves and make sure they are using relevant products to manage symptoms.

This has led to a shortage of these products in terms of our inability to obtain them.

“On the front line it is very difficult because we are seeing this shortage but those people responsible for supporting us with it deny it.”

Quality supermarket chain Superdrug said it saw huge demand for its cough and cold medicines.

Hanbeck, whose group represents community pharmacy companies with multiple stores, warned that a shortage of self-care products in pharmacies could put more pressure on the NHS.

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“What we see as concerning is, when people go to pharmacies and try to get over-the-counter products, especially for young children, then people start to get nervous and panic and what we don’t want to happen is more people go to their GP or A&E when the NHS is Already under a lot of pressure.”

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2:31 The health secretary blamed the high cases of influenza, COVID and concerns about Strep A in the

Despite warning of shortages, Ms. Hanbeck urged people to “not panic.”

She added, “As pharmacists, we do everything we can to ensure we support patients in every way we can and try to sort out alternatives, or give advice on how to manage cold and flu symptoms.”

Read more: Health minister blames influenza and Covid for NHS crisis As pressure mounts on government to take action, medical association urges Rishi Sunak to call parliament ‘immediately’ to discuss ‘NHS crisis’

It comes after Professor Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), on Tuesday warned adults to stay home when feeling unwell or to wear face coverings when out in order to reduce the spread of the disease.

She added that adults should only “visit people at risk” when feeling unwell.

The advice comes as part of the UKHSA’s “simple steps” to help protect children and vulnerable individuals as pupils return to schools and universities after the Christmas break.

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2:31 Sky’s health correspondent Ashish Joshi takes a look at some of the data that suggests multiple areas of the NHS are showing signs of stress.

Prof Hopkins added that it was “important to reduce the spread of infection in schools and other settings for education and child care”, and recommended that children with a fever or feeling unwell should stay home from school or nursery to help stop the spread of the disease.

The United States Health Services Authority (UKHSA) has warned that both influenza and COVID-19 are “currently circulating at high levels,” and are likely to continue to increase in the coming weeks.

Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London and founder of the COVID Zoe app, also highlighted the Omicron variant after a scientist said cases had doubled in America in a week.

Large numbers of scarlet fever, caused by group A Streptococcus (Strep A), also continue to be reported in the UK. At least 30 children have died in the UK from invasive Strep A bacteria, and across all age groups in England, there have been 122 deaths.

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