Your guide to hayfever in Spain
An estimated six million people in Spain suffer from hayfever
An estimated six million people in Spain suffer from hayfever, and they are in for a ‘critical’ time if it does not rain, and one in four suffers some form of seasonal allergy. The director of Allergies Department of the Teknon Clinic in Barcelona, Dr Josep María Torres, explained to El Mundo that when it rains the pollen is washed from the air.
He said sever sufferers should be vaccinated, and also advised sufferers to wear sunglasses on windy days. Another trick is to put some Vaseline in the nose, to capture all the pollen possible.
Olive Pollen - Photo www.publico.es
This year record pollen levels are expected because of the abundant plant growth over the very wet winter. Each plant is capable of producing thousands of grains of pollen. Residents of Extremadura, Madrid, Castilla La Mancha, Castilla y León, inland Andalucía and the Levante are expected to see the highest counts this year at over 3,000 grains of pollen per cubic metre of air.
Those who live in the city cannot escape either; indeed city pollen has a larger concentration of allergens. Also those who live on higher floors suffer more as cold air currents lift up the pollen.
The introduction of plants from other countries has changed the traditional dates for hay fever sufferers in Spain. Climate change too is having an effect, making those to suffer from allergies susceptible at almost any time of the year.
More information – The webpage of the Spanish Society for Clinical Allergy and Immunology has the pollen count from practically all the regions of Spain, and can be found at www.polenes.com.
Other alternative webpages are www.seaic.es and www.clinicasubiza.com
