Strep is bad right now — an antibiotic shortage is making it worse

Some Amoxicillin products are hard to find on pharmacy shelves as a nationwide shortage continues.

Luis Alvarez / Luis Alvarez

Downing a spoonful of bubblegum pink amoxicillin is a regular part of being a kid, but a nationwide shortage of the antibiotic is making a particularly bad season of strep throat tougher.

That hit home for Caitlin Rivers recently when both of her kids had strep.

“We had to visit several pharmacies to find the medication that we needed,” says Rivers, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “It just adds another burden on what’s already been a really difficult winter respiratory season for families.”