“Pollen storms” await Russians – Kommersant FM

“Pollen storms” may cover Russia, and this season allergy sufferers are at especially high risk. This was stated at the Institute of Immunology of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia. According to scientists, the situation will worsen due to heavy snowfalls and high humidity last winter: in warm weather, trees will release more pollen than usual. According to preliminary forecasts, such storms could begin as early as April and last at least until September.

This will be actively distributed in central Russia, that is, it will also affect Muscovites, Natalya Ilyina, deputy director for clinical work at the Institute of Immunology of the FMBA, told Kommersant FM: “There is the concept of “pollen concentration in the air” and certain values ​​at which allergy sufferers who sensitized, for example, to birch pollen, symptoms already appear. These are quite low numbers – 400-500 to 1 thousand pollen grains. But there are seasons when the pollen concentration reaches very high levels – either 10 thousand or 20 thousand pollen grains in the air. We call this a “pollen storm”; during this period you yourself notice cars covered with a yellow-green coating.

Moscow, of course, is susceptible to this phenomenon. The pollen is very light, and the season can sometimes begin earlier. If, for example, there is a corresponding wind rose, then the capital will contain pollen from more southern regions.”

The greatest discomfort for allergy sufferers in Central Russia is caused by birch, alder and hazel pollen. According to doctors, approximately 30-40% of Russians exhibit different reactions to flowering. The peak usually occurs in spring and lasts about two weeks. During this period, Muscovites will benefit from the skills acquired during the coronavirus pandemic, noted allergist-immunologist Vladimir Bolibok:

“The last time such a phenomenon was observed in the capital region was in 2012. It was just a very snowy winter with large snowdrifts, spring came suddenly, it became warm, and almost simultaneously all the trees began to bloom.

So allergy sufferers can wear a mask when they go outside. Those who have conjunctivitis should wear protective glasses so that they fit snugly in the eye sockets. They can be bought both in construction and sports stores. Be sure to wear a hat to prevent pollen from getting into your hair, wash your face often, and blow your nose to remove this pollen.”

As stated at the Institute of Immunology of the FMBA, in two years Russians may have access to a domestic vaccine against birch pollen allergy. The component proved its effectiveness and safety during the first studies, the institution assured. One of the ways to avoid unpleasant reactions now is to go to other regions for a while, emphasized the medical director of the Association of Health Tourism and Corporate Health, Mikhail Danilov:

“There is a method called “geographical prevention”, just such tourism as an escape from allergies. Most often, parents of children with allergies resort to it. And in minors, allergies are often very severe and severe. I have to leave for a month or a month and a half. In this case, the choice often falls on the southern regions, Crimea or Krasnodar Territory, especially Sochi. True, there is a danger that at the same time the acacia flowering season may begin there, which also sometimes causes allergies.”

In 2023, as follows from data from the Sber Eapteka and SberHealth services, Russians began turning to allergists earlier than usual. In April, the number of visits to specialized specialists increased by more than one and a half times. Experts linked this, among other things, to the consequences of COVID-19.

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Elena Tyuleneva