Birch pollen is already causing watery eyes and runny noses
Published: Wednesday, Mar 27th 2024, 12:10
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Birch pollen has started to bloom earlier than in other years. Their particularly allergenic pollen is already causing watery eyes and runny noses. The Swiss Allergy Center advises those affected to arm themselves.
Birch pollen plagues allergy sufferers particularly severely: on the one hand, the pollen contains very strong allergens. Secondly, birch pollen is very small and therefore reaches deep into our airways. At temperatures above 12 to 15 degrees Celsius, birch trees release their highly allergenic pollen, as the Swiss Allergy Center reported on Wednesday.
This year, the birch trees on the northern side of the Alps began flowering one to two weeks earlier than the long-term average. The reason for this is the exceptionally high temperatures since February.
In addition, the birch is having a so-called mast year this year - and is therefore producing a particularly large number of catkins. As the amount of pollen was rather low last year, we can now expect higher levels. According to the Allergy Center, ash pollen is also already in the air. How the pollen season will actually develop, however, always depends on the weather.
Sunglasses and medication can provide relief from hay fever. To avoid pollen grains as much as possible, allergy sufferers should keep an eye on the pollen count. On the website pollenundallergie.ch and in the free "Pollen News" app, you can track how much pollen is flying in which region in real time, as the Swiss Allergy Center reported on Wednesday.
In Switzerland, around 20 percent of the population are affected by a pollen allergy. This makes hay fever the most common allergy disease in this country.
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