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
Police clear pro-Palestinian protesters from Columbia University while clashes break out at UCLA
The pro-Palestinian demonstration that paralyzed Columbia University ended in dramatic fashion, with police carrying riot shields bursting into a building that protesters took over the previous night and making dozens of arrests. On the other side of the country, clashes broke out early Wednesday between duelling groups at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Poilievre kicked out of Commons after calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko'
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
WATCH Arnold Schwarzenegger spotted filming in Elora, Ont.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
WATCH Moose strolls through Fredericton
A Fredericton woman is awe-struck after seeing a moose stroll down a city street on Tuesday.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four other people, British authorities said.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
Eviction for landlord's use was legitimate, despite owners' partial move, B.C. court rules
A B.C. judge has upheld the eviction of a family from their North Vancouver townhouse, finding that the landlords did not take an unreasonable amount of time to move into the home after the tenants vacated it.