Spring allergy season begins in Metro Vancouver after longer winter
Posted March 12, 2021 12:13 pm.
Last Updated March 12, 2021 12:14 pm.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Spring allergy season is in full swing in Metro Vancouver, and if you feel like it’s come early, you’d be wrong.
According to an immunologist in Vancouver, this is actually later than usual for people to start showing symptoms.
Dr. Joanne Yeung, who is also a pediatric allergist, says pollen allergies in B.C. typically start around mid-February.
“But as you recall, our winter was extended this year. We had snowfall on Valentine’s Day and a few days afterward,” Yeung explained.
That burst of cold weather pushed things by a couple of weeks.
“Tree pollens are the ones that appear first and that started to appear about three weeks ago,” she said.
She adds allergy season can typically be split up in two waves, the first being characterized by the spread of tree pollen.
The second — grass pollen allergies — usually comes around April and May, “when it’s lawn mowing season.”
Yeung says for most people, the sneezing and itchy eyes can be managed with over-the-counter medication.
“When you feel terrible and if you’re waiting for it to get bad enough and then take it, then you’ve probably missed the boat already and it will be less effective,” she explained. “Regular dosing, or even dosing prior to the symptoms coming up, is the best strategy. So for a lot of people, it may actually be worth while to use it every day starting now continuously for two or three months.”
If regular dosing doesn’t work, you can speak to your doctor about the possibility of prescription medication.
–With files from Lasia Kretzel
