World Allergy Week 2023: The Link Between Climate Change & Worsening Allergies<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The week of 18 to 24 June 2023 marks World Allergy Week, an annual global event that raises awareness around allergies and their serious health implications. The theme for 2023 is \u201cManaging allergic diseases amid climate change\u201d, which focuses on educating people about the connection between worsening allergies and climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the United Nations, the average temperature of the earth\u2019s surface is now about 1,1\u00b0C, warmer than at any other time in the last 100 000 years, the last decade (2011-2020) the warmest on record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAll this warming is affecting our pollen seasons and causing allergy seasons to start earlier and last longer,\u201d says Professor Mike Levin, CEO of the Allergy Foundation of South Africa (AFSA), the organisation driving the awareness campaign in SA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A study of 60 pollen collecting stations in the US and Canada found the pollen season is now 20 days longer, on average. The SA pollen monitoring network is collating similar data for the southern hemisphere, and preliminary analyses confirm increasing pollen seasons in the Cape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe warming of our planet is creating an environment that can support high pollen-producing plants in places where they may not have existed previously,\u201d says Professor Johnny Peter, head of the Allergy and Immunology Unit at Groote Schuur and Head of Allergology and Clinical Immunology at UCT. \u201cFor example, a highly allergenic plant called Ragweed, which is native to North America, has now been found in South Africa. Climate change is also driving extreme weather events, and in 2018 we experienced 10-year highs in grass and tree-pollen levels due to drought over parts of South Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Increased greenhouse emissions increase the amount of carbon dioxide which, in turn, stimulates plants to generate, and release, more pollen. The pollen seasons are being so intensely impacted that scientists predict average pollen counts in 2040 will be more than double what they were in 2000. And it is not just pollen. Burning fossil fuels also releases air pollutants and air particles that can worsen allergy symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen the coughing, sneezing, runny nose and congested nose, and the head, and chest symptoms that come with seasonal allergies, are left untreated they can turn into bigger problems, such as ear infections, bronchitis and pneumonia,\u201d cautions Peter. \u201cUntreated allergies can also worsen pre-existing conditions such as eczema and asthma.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is particularly important with regard to asthma, which can be life-threatening, and South Africa has one of the highest asthma-related death rates in the world. \u201cIt is known that asthma and allergies frequently co-exist, with up to 80% of asthmatics having seasonal allergies,\u201d Peter said. \u201c An untreated allergic reaction can lead to an asthma attack.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A 2023 EPA report found that pollen levels are projected to increase children\u2019s asthma-related emergency department visits from 17% to 30% each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n According to Professor Aneesa Vanker, a paediatric pulmonologist at Red Cross Children\u2019s Hospital and a member of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies Environmental Group, people who suffer concurrently from allergies and asthma must recognise and treat even mild symptoms of an allergic reaction to avoid a potential asthma attack. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAir pollution, which contributes to climate change, is known to exacerbate asthma,\u201d she said. \u201c The severity of an asthma attack can escalate rapidly, so it\u2019s important to treat allergy symptoms immediately once one recognises them, to stop them from progressing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCarefully managing allergies and asthma in consultation with one\u2019s primary-care doctor is key. Treat symptoms of allergies early using a prescribed or one of the many over-the-counter, antihistamine and nasal anti-inflammatories available in pharmacies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is also advisable for allergy sufferers to check the daily pollen count and try avoiding the outdoors when they\u2019re especially high. They can check the daily pollen count at The Real Pollen Count, a website offering a \u201ctraffic-light\u201d rating system on the daily pollen count and other allergen-related sources, and gives recommended actions based on the measured levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor people who suffer from asthma, it is important to treat asthma with regular prevention therapy even when symptoms are not present,\u201d Vanker said. \u201cController medication is most effective when delivered directly to the lungs using an aerosol holding chamber, such as the AfriSpacer\u2122, a device that slows the speed of the spray from an asthma pump and helps asthma sufferers direct more medication into their lungs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUsing the AfriSpacer\u2122 allows 1,7 times as much medicine to reach the lungs, making it more effective than a home nebuliser or dry-powder inhaler. The AfriSpacer\u2122 is particularly recommended by the Allergy Foundation of South Africa for all children with asthma and even adults, who will benefit from better delivery of their asthma medication into their lungs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A global webinar hosted by top allergy specialists discussing climate change and worsening allergies will take place on Tuesday 20 June at 14:00 (SAST). Topics include the major current climate changes, how climate change enhances allergen exposure, and how to mitigate the hazards of climate change. For more on the webinar and to take part visit World Allergy Week 2023. \u2013 World Allergy Organization<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" World Allergy Week 2023: The Link Between Climate Change & Worsening 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