The Conversation: Pollen counting is not something to be sneezed at

“Ah, spring, the sun shines again, the birds sing and – ach-hoo! Airborne grass pollens trigger bouts of hay fever and episodes of asthma in people with pollen allergies.

But there is a way we could mitigate the impact of the season – pollen counts. These work in the same way as summer UV alerts, by telling us when there’s enough of something around to cause health harms.

And this helps manage the impact of UV or pollen by giving us time to prepare, by wearing UV protection, for instance, or taking antihistamines. But while this sounds like a good idea, most places in Australia don’t have a pollen count, so those of us with allergies are left to our own devices.”

Read the full story here.