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
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.