The Children’s Health Care Crisis in the United States: From Grant’s Pass to Mergers, Walgreens, Cardinal Health, Amerisource Bergen and McKesson

The Grant’s Pass Pharmacy is down to the last few boxes of children’s prescription drugs and can’t order more.

Belcher says she orders these medications from one of the “big three” wholesalers: McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen. None of the 40 products that she checked for availability this week were in stock.

Widespread demand for mainstay medicines to reducefevers and control pain was caused by the Surge in Influenza and Respiratory syncytial virus in children around the country.

Kroger says its inventory is limited and it is trying to manage it. Rite Aid says it is working closely with its suppliers “to meet demand and mitigate shortages where possible.” Walmart and Walgreens say they are able to meet customers needs despite increased demand.

The Consumer Health Products Association, which represents the manufacturers of over-the-counter drugs, says that the problem is not widespread and that manufacturers are doing everything they can to get more product on the shelves. However, it acknowledged that parents in some areas may have trouble finding the medications they need.

The group said in a statement that parents may have to make a few stops to find what they need and should also consider alternative self-care alternatives, to aid comfort and relief.

Pediatricians say there are some strategies parents can use to help their child feel better, even if they can’t find the medication they’re hunting for.

If an infant under 3 months old has a fever, however, parents should contact their pediatrician. If a child has a fever accompanied by significant symptoms such as extreme drowsiness, neck pain and difficulty breathing, parents should contact their pediatrician immediately, Woolford said.

It is a different story if the infant is under 2 months old. Any temperature over 100.4 degrees is considered concerning and means your child needs to be seen by a clinician.

She is not as concerned about the kids who are up to date with their immunizations if they have a long-term illness such as the flu or Covid-19. It is a general rule that a person needs further evaluation if they have been on a fever for longer than five days.

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Tablets – not capsules or gel tabs – can be crushed and added to a bit of applesauce or chocolate syrup to cover the taste. It is very important not to give kids too much medicine, but it is advisable to have a medical professional consult before giving the first dose.

In Canada, which has been dealing with a shortage of children’s medications for months, pharmacists at the University of Toronto and its affiliated children’s hospital, SickKids, created a chart to show parents how to do this safely.

People who are not familiar with the topic should double-check their immunizations with someone who is familiar.

You can check for a local compounding pharmacist, who can mixpharmaceuticals for patients. You might be able to get the medication you need.

If you can’t get rid of the ear ache, put a wet compress on it to help it get better. It also helps to hold a child upright to reduce pressure on their ears, which will increase if their head is down on a pillow or in a crib.

When kids have a high temperature, they lose more fluids than if they have a low one, Ahmann said. They also don’t want to drink a lot, so you need to push the fluids.

Ahmann recommends giving a sports drink with electrolytes, but cut it by half with water. She said sports drinks have a lot of sugar, which can cause vomiting and dehydration.

Ahmann said she has had parents call and text her asking if they can give aspirin to their children. “It’s called baby aspirin, [but] it’s not for babies,” she said.

Reye’s syndrome, a rare and serious condition, is caused by the swelling of theLiver andBrain after giving children aspirin during a viral illness.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/09/health/childrens-medications-high-demand-wellness/index.html

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She said that a cold bath will lower their temperature, but it won’t change their internal temperature, so when they get out, there is a chance of a seizure.

Eighty-four percent of parents will retake their child’s temperature before giving a second dose, but 26% of parents will give another dose, even if there is no fever present, in an attempt to prevent the fever from coming back, according to the poll.

Parents fear their children are “going to get super sick if (they) don’t give them something,” said Dr. Chandani DeZure, a pediatrician and spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics who was not involved with the Mott Poll. It isn’t the case because the body’s natural response to an infection is a high temperature.

“The goal is to try to keep the child comfortable,” Woolford said. To make sure that they are wearing light clothing, keep the room cool and comfortable. And then make sure they are well- hydrated.

“At this time of year, I feel like prevention is a really good approach, so that we can try to avoid having as many of these illnesses as possible,” Woolford said.

“You can’t do everything, but we can do a lot of hand hygiene, (we) can be sure that we’re washing hands and using hand sanitizer appropriately, and we can be sure that we’re not dosing children with medication and sending them off to school, because they’re still contagious.”