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Climate change boosts hay fever season

Joanne Naish joanne.naish@stuff.co.nz

If you’ve found yourself sneezing and sniffling earlier than normal this year due to hay fever, get used to it – climate change has lengthened the pollen season and increased its intensity.

Hay fever season started in August – about two months earlier than usual.

According to the World Allergy Organisation, climate change is lengthening pollen allergy seasons and increasing the intensity of allergens.

Allergy NZ chief executive Mark Dixon said a third of the population suffered from airborne allergies, with some people taking corticosteroid or antihistamine treatments to help them before the season started.

‘‘People usually start a desensitisation routine in June or July, so they wouldn’t have been effectively desensitised by August if they were only halfway through that process,’’ he said.

Dixon said hay fever was boosted by a warm andwindy winter.

The main pollens affecting New Zealanders were from grasses as a result of land use changes, but the South Island also had birch forests where pollen could travel up to 1500km. ‘‘Birch allergen proteins can affect people right up to Auckland,’’ Dixon said.

Allergic reactions happen as the body

tries to ward off irritants by releasing histamines, which cause inflammation.

Hay fever is also known as allergic rhinitis, and has two types: seasonal allergic rhinitis, caused by windborne pollens, and perennial allergic rhinitis, caused by yearround allergens like dust mites and domestic pets.

MetService meteorologist Stephen Glassey said most of New Zealand had the warmest and wettest winter on record. In Christchurch, it was 2C warmer than average, while Auckland’s climatic average temperature for August was 12.9C compared to the average of 11.1C.

Professor Rewi Newnham of Victoria University of Wellington said a wet and mild winter would contribute to a more severe season for allergies.

‘‘Pollen is coming into the air streams in abundance usually mid- to late October or into November, and this is exacerbated by warmer temperatures. We are seeing an early onset this year.’’

Newnham said that anecdotally, pollen allergies were increasing, but New Zealand’s data on the subject was incomplete and out of date, with the last nationwide survey of airborne pollen conducted more than 30 years ago.

‘‘The data generated would also help to answer some pressing questions in relation to respiratory disorder in New Zealand, and in particular whether the timing and severity of key pollen allergens are changing and new sources are establishing as a result of climate change,’’ he said.

The World Allergy Organisation says pollen allergies are increasing in prevalence and severity, and will continue to be a concern as climate changes bring more allergen sensitivity.

Hay fever reduces people’s quality of life, with symptoms including fatigue, irritability, anxiety, depression, frustration, self-consciousness, and lower energy, motivation, alertness, and ability to concentrate.

‘‘Pollen is coming into the air streams in abundance usually mid- to late October or into November, and this is exacerbated by warmer temperatures. We are seeing an early onset this year.’’ Professor Rewi Newnham

Victoria University of Wellington

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2022-10-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-10-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/281672553824027

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