Under fear of a possible nuclear accident in Ukraine, many Greeks are stocking up on iodine-related drugs and supplements. Over the past six days Greek pharmacies like those in Bulgaria and Poland, have recorded a rise in demand, a trend similar in Belgium, France, and the Netherlands.
There is such a spike in the demand for the drugs, that over the last 24 hours, there has been a shortage in Greek pharmacies, as confirmed by protothema.gr, by pharmacists.
“Since last week, there has been a shortage in the preparations of all products containing iodine as a dietary supplement,” pharmacist Dimitris Psarros told protothema.gr . “These drugs are selling like there is no tomorrow, as consumers believe that taking them will counteract the possible side effects of the spread of radioactivity into the atmosphere from a possible accident at the Ukrainian nuclear power plant or for fear of a nuclear catastrophe,” he added.
The price of iodine-related products is reasonable, as it ranges from 15 to 25 euros and maybe this is an additional reason that they have already “disappeared” from the shelves of many pharmacies in the country.