Canada faces shortage of children's medicines as respiratory viruses surge: report

LONDON, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Canada has been facing a shortage of children's pain medicines amid a nationwide surge of respiratory viruses, the BBC has reported.

For months, Canada has failed to effectively tackle a shortage of children's ibuprofen and acetaminophen (Advil and Tylenol), leaving parents desperate and without medication, said the report published recently.

Observers say the intense demand for painkillers has been triggered by an unusual rise in viral infections among children -- primarily coronavirus, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), all three of which produce fevers in children, said the report.

"Respiratory virus season is challenging anyway, and now it seems to be even worse," Kelly Grindrod, a pharmacist and professor at the University of Waterloo in Canada, was quoted as saying.