Allergy season arrived early in the US. Here’s how to keep pollen from ruining your spring
Allergy season is here – and it’s earlier and stronger than expected.
More than 80 million Americans deal with itchy eyes, runny nose and other symptoms of seasonal allergies, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
The level of misery people will face depends on where they live and what they’re allergic to, but there are things you can do to feel better.
Pollen counts were high early
Dr. Rachna Shah usually starts looking at pollen counts in the Chicago area in April. But she peeked at her data in mid-february, and saw tree pollen was already at a “moderate” level.
“This season has been so nuts,” said Shah, an allergist and director of the Loyola Medicine Allergy Count. “Granted, it was a pretty mild winter, but I didn’t expect it to be so early.”
Shah said she believes this season will be longer than other years, assuming the weather remains warm. Experts say climate change has led to longer
and more intense allergy seasons.
Which cities have it the worst?
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America issues an annual ranking of the most challenging cities to live in if you have allergies, based on over-thecounter medicine use, pollen counts and the number of available allergy specialists. This year, the top five were Wichita, Kansas; Virginia Beach, Virginia;
Greenville, South Carolina; Dallas; and Oklahoma City.
Dr. Nana Mireku is an allergist in the Dallas-fort Worth area, and said “people are pretty miserable right now and allergists are pretty busy.”
Which pollens cause allergies?
There are three main types of pollen that cause seasonal allergies. Earlier in the spring, tree pollen is SEE
“This is a horrible and tragic day for our school district,” Wright said.
The bus was struck at about 2 p.m. when the concrete truck, which was traveling in the opposite direction, veered into the bus’ lane, Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Deon Cockrell said. He added that authorities told him initial information indicated the truck hit the bus head-on, causing it to roll over.
The man who was killed was in a vehicle that either ran into the back of the bus or maybe part of the concrete truck, Cockrell said. There was one person in the truck and one man in the other vehicle. Cockrell didn’t know how fast the vehicles were going. He said the truck driver was cooperating with authorities.
Parents of the students on the bus were notified of the crash and all the children were reunited with their families by the evening, Wright said.
Cynthia Yescas said her 4-year-old nephew had been on the bus and that he was OK, but a little hurt, the Austin American-statesman reported.
“The kids are more scared than anything else,” she said.
The bus didn’t have seatbelts because it was a 2011 model, Tim Savoy, a Hays school district spokesperson, told the newspaper. New buses have been fitted with belts since 2017, he said.
Gov. Greg Abbott said in a post on the social media platform X that he spoke with the district superintendent “and offered the state’s full support as they help their community through this tragedy.”
State Rep. Erin Zwiener, whose district includes Buda, said in a post on Facebook that her heart goes out to the families affected.
“In this terrible moment, our community must come together to support those who’ve lost loved ones and those who are recovering,” she wrote, also thanking first responders and school district employees who she said “saved lives today.”
Buda is about 16 miles (25 kilometers) southwest of Austin.