Kid meds run short in virus ‘tripledemic’

America is facing a shortage of four key medications used for common illnesses in children as virus season comes back in full force.

Officials have declared a shortage of first-line antibiotics amoxicillin and Augmentin, which are used for bacterial infections. Tamiflu, the most common flu medication, and albuterol, an inhaler for asthma that opens airways in the lungs, are also in short supply, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

“Right now, we are having severe shortages of medications. There’s no Tamiflu for children. There’s barely any Tamiflu for adults. And this is brand-name and generic,” Renae Kraft, a relief pharmacist in Oklahoma City, told CNN.

“As far as antibiotics go, there’s not a whole lot,” she added.

The shortages are due to increased demand, especially with a surge in respiratory syncytial virus and flu cases. The combination of RSV, flu and COVID now circulating has been called a “tripledemic.”

Parents have reported spending hours going from one pharmacy to another to track down the medications.

“In my 25 years of being a pediatrician, I’ve never seen anything like this,” pediatric infectious disease specialist Dr. Stacene Maroushek of Hennepin Healthcare in Minnesota told CNN. “I have seen families who just aren’t getting a break. They have one viral illness after another. And now there’s the secondary effect of ear infections and pneumonia that are prompting amoxicillin shortages.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is “high” or “very high” respiratory virus activity in more than half of the states. About 1 out of 5 tests for RSV in the nation were positive last week.

The current rates for flu hospitalizations are what is usually seen in December or January — about 8 for every 100,000 people — and the cumulative hospitalization rate hasn’t been this high this early in flu season in more than a decade.

Tamiflu fills are at a 10-time high for this time of year, according to GoodRx.com. People are six times more likely to be taking Tamiflu now than they were at this time in 2019, the last pre-pandemic flu season.

It’s unclear why amoxicillin and Augmentin are facing high demand — but these drugs are known to treat many common illnesses, including ear, sinus and throat infections.

Dr. Stuart Fischer, an emergency care physician in New York, told DailyMail.com, “Needless to say, a good supply [of medicines] was needed for this winter, but our government doesn’t believe in planning ahead.”

He added, “You could say we are obsessed with COVID in the US, while every other illness is being pushed to the side.”

Pharmaceutical companies are trying to ramp up production of the medications — but it will take time.

Our government doesn’t believe in planning ahead. — Dr. Stuart Fischer, emergency care physician