Health security

'Allergy explosion' across much of the country linked to climate change

The spring allergy season is hitting much of the country especially hard — and researchers are blaming climate change for more intense pollen counts.
There's been a spike in the number of people suffering seasonal allergies, also called hay fever or allergic rhinitis, for the first time, and people in the northwest and southwest are getting the worst of it, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
Not only are more people experiencing the symptoms of burning, itchy eyes and runny nose or congestion, allergy seasons overall — including spring and fall — are lasting as much as 27 days longer than in the past.
Warmer, wetter winters may be one reason why. Rising temperatures, changes in worldwide weather patterns and increasing airborne pollen levels for a longer period of time can even affect the healthy; for those with a family history of allergies, the result is a more intense allergic reaction, according to a recently released report by the academy.