It’s hard to miss right now: pollen seems to be everywhere. It's a frustrating sight for allergy sufferers.
“A lot of the pollen. Driving me crazy. A lot of allergies,” said Sonya Perez of Newington.
“It is pretty bad. [Noah’s] eyes get really itchy. A lot of the kids have running noses,” said mother of Noah, Sam Sowik from Wethersfield.
Right now, we’re told most of the pollen you’re seeing is from trees. That is expected to soon transition to grass.
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“Our tree counts are rising,” said Dr. Christopher Randolph, Center for Allergy, Asthma & Immunology CEO.
Randolph said the pollen counter at Waterbury Hospital is measuring up to the high range now in certain categories. Even radar picked up a cloud of pollen and other things stirred up as the front moved through the state on Wednesday.
But is this season worse than in previous years?
“We get this every year. This is the worst season. And, you know, I would say this is very similar to most seasons that we've had it not any worse or any better,” Randolph said.
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Randolph said climate change has made the allergy season longer and sometimes more intense, though this year might have been slower to take off, according to Dr. Kelsey Kaman.
“I think it's because we had so much rain and it was a little bit chilly for a longer period of time than we usually see,” said Kaman, Hartford HealthCare allergist.
Now, she’s seeing a lot more pollen and patients these days.
“Last spring, I would say certainly was probably one of the worst springs that we have seen in a long time. And I don't know that we're seeing that just yet. Especially given the fact that pollen just really kicked up over the last couple of weeks, but we will see,” Kaman said.
To help ease symptoms, doctors suggest avoiding outside during prime pollen time in the morning and think about wearing a mask.
Consider seeing a doctor if your symptoms really become an issue.
