Parents have described 'the nightmare' of trying to get hold of antibiotics for their poorly children.
Demand for commonly prescribed treatments such as penicillin and amoxicillin has increased amid an unseasonably early rise in Strep A infections.
Health officials have lowered the prescription threshold for the drugs following an outbreak of the invasive Group A streptococcal infection (iGAS), which has killed 16 children in recent weeks.