From BZ/dpa
Despite the first birch pollen in the air in Berlin’s city center, allergy sufferers seem to have little to say against Easter walks this year.
“Nature doesn’t make big leaps yet. Things are going rather leisurely this spring,” said landscape ecologist Matthias Werchan from the German Pollen Information Service Foundation the German Press Agency.
“The birch pollen count will gradually increase when the sun comes out – but that’s not really a problem for allergy sufferers.”
Werchan generally does not expect an above-average birch pollen season: “Fewer catkins are hanging on the birch trees this spring than in other years.” This could also be related to factors such as drought – but the exact causes of the annual fluctuations are not known.
For people who are currently wondering about symptoms, the hornbeam could also be an explanation, the expert described: “The hornbeam is blooming very heavily this year. Their pollen often leads to reactions in people who react to birch pollen.” Birch and hornbeam both belong to the birch family.
“The ash tree is also beginning to bloom and the pollen count will intensify. But not in a flash,” said Werchan. All in all, it is rather good news for allergy sufferers: “So far there has been nothing extreme. Hazel and alder pollen is over. The alder pollen season was not particularly strong, also because there was repeated rain, which cleaned the air.”
People with hay fever are overly sensitive to the actually harmless pollen. Possible symptoms include tears in the eyes, urge to sneeze, runny nose, cough and exhaustion. Those affected can use nasal sprays, eye drops and tablets to combat the symptoms. Immunotherapy, for example with injections or tablets (hyposensitization), starts at the cause.