Very high pollen counts predicted for Spring in Spain

Experts are predicting an intense spring for people allergic to pollen given that airborne pollen will be double the amount recorded in 2009 due to abundant rainfall earlier this year.

Javier Subiza, a leading expert in the area of immunology, said that the concentration of pollen in the air in April, May, June and July would be 5,100 grains per cubic metre compared to 2,800 in 2009.

Subiza said that the amount of rainfall in September, October and November was much less than that recorded in previous years but that the rainfall in January and February this year had doubled the predictions for the amount of pollen in the air compared to last year.

Doctor Tomás Chivato, the head of the allergy service for a Madrid hospital (Hospital Central de la Defensa) said that the people who would be most affected were those residing in the driest part of Spain such as Madrid, Castilla La Mancha, Extremadura and northern Andalucia.

He recommended that people with pollen allergies take preventative measures such as visiting their GPs before suffering symptoms. Chivato also advised that people affected by high pollen counts should not stay long in parks, gardens or areas with abundant vegetation, especially grass.

He explained that pollen was a problem during the daytime and that the pollen count would go down during the night. The worst period would be between 5am and 10am. He said the best thing for pollen suffers to do would be to close windows and keep rooms in semi-darkness for most of the day and lastly be aware that hot, dry days have higher pollen counts especially if they come after rainfall.