Indeed, pollen concentrations are often lower in coastal areas. This is indeed the case for tree pollen. A stay at the seaside when birch trees are flowering (April-May) is recommended to individuals sensitised to birch pollen.
1) Allergen eviction
One of the safest ways to avoid pollen contact is to keep windows and doors closed. Indeed, pollen grains are quite easily deposited in still air. If you must absolutely go outside, wear sunglasses to protect your eyes.
2) Medical treatment
Drugs such as antihistamines and corticoids do reduce hayfever symptoms. These are prescription medications which, with the practitioner’s consent, may also be taken as preventive measures.
3) Immunotherapy injections
These months do not actually correspond to the flowering season of allergenic plants, and consequently allergy to house dust mites or allergy to spores from wild and field mushrooms (basidiospores) should be considered. Large quantities of spores are released into the air in September and October, and some of them could provoke respiratory allergies.
Each day, our unit reports the airborne pollen and fungal spore densities in order to inform medical doctors and the public about the growing and flowering periods of the main allergenic taxa. Each week, the daily counts from five sampling stations (Brussels, Marche-enFamenne, Tournai, De Haan and Genk) are provided.
Weekly results of the pollen concentrations, information by graph, and comments on the allergenic pollen grain and fungal spore variations are published in this newsletter.