A deadly Victorian coughing disease has been running riot across the UK, with health officials sounding the warning alarm in several areas.
Throughout the entire UK, new government data shows that a whopping 1,172 warnings about whooping cough were sent by doctors during the week ending June 23 – with more than 5,000 going out across the entire month.
The new date further adds to claims that the country is grappling with the worst outbreak of the dreaded 100-day cough, also known as pertussis or 100-day cough, in more than 10 years, with cases skyrocketing since the beginning of the year to already be more than three times more than the entirety of 2023.
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This highly infectious illness has tragically claimed the lives of five infants this year alone, prompting parents to urgently warn others about the rapid deterioration in their children’s health.
To add to the crisis, Dr Leyla Hannbeck from the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, has revealed that pharmacies had been running on empty when it came to stocks of treatment clarithromycin in liquid form last month.
She said: “We have had an ongoing problem with the supply of common antibiotics for two years now and this current epidemic of whooping cough is putting an additional strain on supplies.
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“While the shortage isn’t widespread, there are sporadic problems getting hold of these drugs in pockets across the country. No-one wants to send a mother and a child home without antibiotics. But, increasingly, pharmacists are in a situation where they’re having to do just that.”
GPs can prescribe one of four antibiotics; clarithromycin, erythromycin, azithromycin and co-trimoxazole. These medications can help stop the bacterial infection from spreading further and allows patients to be infection-free within 48 hours.
Despite that, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care stated: “We are not aware of any supply shortages of antibiotic treatments for whooping cough, which are currently available across the country to those in need.
“We are working with primary care across England to support the management of whooping cough including the supply of antibiotics.
“The UK Health Security Agency and NHS England have been engaging local communities to highlight the importance of vaccination and make sure people know how to access the jabs as quickly as possible.”
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