Warm weather sends Metro Vancouver's early tree pollen season into overdrive
An unseasonably warm winter meant Metro Vancouver’s tree pollen season started in late January this year, which is two to four weeks early.
And four days of non-stop sunshine with some record-breaking temperatures in mid-March has sent pollen counts into overdrive.
“Now that the weather has gotten much better, we are seeing much higher pollen count, and this is of course impacting people with pollen allergies,” said Dr. Amin Kanani, UBC’s head of the Division of Allergy and Immunology, who added the biggest culprits right now are alder, birch, willow, cottonwood and oak trees.
“We are allergic to the pollens that are very easily airborne,” Kanani said. “The pollen is floating into the air, we are getting it into our noses, into our eyes, into our lungs, so we get symptoms of nasal stuffiness, congestion, drippy nose, sneezing, itchy nose, (and) itchy, tearing eyes.”
Allergy sufferer Martyna Noworyta is experiencing the mid-March misery. “I already have a very stuffy nose, itchy sore throat. I find allergies just keep coming earlier and earlier every year, so unfortunately this year it’s already happening,” she said.
Because the high pollen levels are happening at the tail end of cold and flu season, it can be difficult to know what’s causing the runny nose and sneezing.
“We can distinguish it from a cold mainly due to the duration of the symptoms, because pollen season goes for many months, and a cold lasts days or a week,” said Kanani.
For chronic allergy sufferers, the hits will keep on coming. Metro Vancouver has two allergy seasons – when tree pollen is winding down, grass pollen will be getting started in May, and that lasts through August.
“Some can be allergic to both, some are just one or the other," said Kanani. "But they present the same way."
People with mild symptoms can usually find relief with over-the-counter antihistamines and saline nasal flushes.
“For those who have more moderate to severe symptoms, we recommend the prescription nasal sprays on anti histamine eye drops,” said Kanani, who also suggests people consult an allergist to determine what they’re actually allergic to.
Noworyta has prescription medications, but is still suffering from the abnormally high pollen counts.
“Honestly I’ve sneezed like 50 times today,” she said. “Essentially for the time being, I have to take my medication, my nasal spray, my eye drops, and hope for the best.”
(Source: The Weather Network)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Some structural damage' from wildfire near Fort Nelson, B.C., mayor confirms
More than one home has been damaged or lost due to a massive wildfire outside of the B.C. community of Fort Nelson, the mayor confirmed Wednesday.
'Very expensive lunch': Sask. driver says he got a cellphone ticket for using his points app in the drive-thru
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
B.C. YouTuber ordered to pay $350K for 'relentless' online defamation campaign
An 'unrepentant' YouTuber has been ordered to pay $350,000 in damages as compensation for a 'relentless' campaign of defamation waged online against a business owner and his company, the B.C. Supreme Court has ruled.
Chief says grave search at B.C. residential school brings things 'full circle'
Chief Robert Michell says relief isn't the right word to describe his reaction as the search begins for unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school he attended in northern British Columbia.
'Endless Shrimp' just one misstep for Red Lobster as it eyes bankruptcy protection
While it's unclear what these closures might mean for the 27 restaurants in Canada, Red Lobster is expected to file for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. this month.
B.C. man shot sex worker in the back during drug-fuelled birthday, court hears
A man from B.C.'s Lower Mainland has been sentenced to four years behind bars after shooting a sex worker in the back during a drug-fuelled 43rd birthday.
'Inhumane conditions': 68 dogs pulled from Winnipeg home
Nearly six dozen dogs were seized from a home Wednesday morning by the Winnipeg Humane Society. It is the largest known seizure of animals in the city’s history.
Ontario's 'Crypto King' Aiden Pleterski arrested
Of the $40-million Aiden Pleterski was handed over two years, documents show he invested just over one per cent and instead spent $15.9 million on "his personal lifestyle." The 25-year-old Oshawa, Ont. man was arrested and charged with fraud and money laundering on Tuesday.
Driver said he smoked pot oil, took medication before Florida crash that killed 8 Mexican workers
A man with a long record of dangerous driving told investigators he smoked marijuana oil and took prescription drugs hours before he sideswiped a bus, killing eight Mexican farmworkers and injuring dozens more, according to an arrest report unsealed Wednesday.