The last few days of heat have caused the birch to really let loose. The pollen warning from the Norwegian Asthma and Allergy Association (NAAF) is at the second highest level, as a result of the recent flowering. It will likely continue to do so in the coming weeks.
– Maturation has taken place, which means that there is a spread of birch pollen over a large area at the same time. You also get high numbers when there is heat, sun and little rainfall, says senior researcher Hallvard Ramfjord at NAAF.
You can expect the warning to remain at a high level for another two to three weeks.
– In this period from the end of April to the end of May, it is often the case that the first two weeks have the highest numbers. Towards the end, there is often a long-distance spread from the mountain, he says.
Hell is on
The pollen season in central Eastern Norway starts with alder at the beginning of March and lasts all the way to the end of August, where it ends with burot.
On Friday, the association announced an extremely heavy spread of birch pollen. That means over 1,000 pollen grains per cubic meter of air. From then until Monday, the warning has been on strong.
– It doesn’t really matter if it is extremely strong or strong, because if you first have a strong spread, it is very dramatic for allergy sufferers, says Ramfjord
At the same time, he says that heavy spreading over a long period of time is completely normal at this time of year. If you are allergic to birch pollen, stuffy nose, red eyes, itching and sneezing are common at this time of year.
Frames wide
– It is a bit difficult to say anything for sure about percentages, but it is assumed that around 20 per cent of the population has a pollen allergy, says senior adviser for health, Anna Bistrup, at NAAF.
The figure is based on the fact that around 1.2 million Norwegians use prescription allergy medicines, where it is estimated that the majority of them use medicines against pollen allergies. Just over 700,000 inhabitants live in Oslo, which means that around 140,000 are statistically allergic to pollen.
– Most people are allergic to birch and grass. About 20 per cent of those who are allergic to birch also react to the other tree species, i.e. alder, hazel and salix, she says.
Escape from the pollen spread
– There are many different types of allergies. Some are very tight and some are less tight. In any case, allergy sufferers must be careful, says Ramfjord.
He recommends allergy sufferers to follow the pollen alerts issued by the association, take medication and follow the advice from their websites.
Beyond that, he simply recommends going to places where there is less pollen. If you are allergic to grass pollen, you can also look forward to a short stay.
– You get a short week’s break after the birch is finished, before the grass blooms. The grass pollen can last until the end of August, he says.
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