Hay fever hell: First pollen bomb of 2022 hits parts of UK today and will cause misery for days

THE first pollen bomb of 2022 is set to hit parts of the UK today, bringing misery to millions of hay fever sufferers.

Brits are set to bask in glorious temperatures this week, but the warm weather is behind the sudden explosion in pollen levels.

Usually at this time of the year, pollen levels are low, meaning that most people with allergies won’t suffer.

But some parts of the UK are now at a medium pollen level, meaning that it is circulating in the air.

Wales, the West Midlands, the East of England, the East Midlands, South West England and London and the South East are all at this medium level.

With more people getting out and about this week due to balmy temperatures, the risk of coming into contact with tree pollen is high.

Tree pollen usually hits from late March and lasts until mid-May.

But the arrival of warm weather means that it’s circulating earlier this year.

Tree pollen allergies affect around 25 per cent of people who suffer with hay fever.

The Met Office started its pollen count early this year on March 17 and stated: “The mild winter means that the birch pollen is likely to be released earlier than normal – possibly in central and southern areas later on this month.”

Depending on where you live in the UK, you might get away with a shorter hay fever season.

Those in the south will see their agony start earlier, due to warmer temperatures and slightly less rainfall.

The rise in pollen levels comes after a new report revealed that 59 per cent of allergy-suffering Brits say climate change is to blame for worsening symptoms.

Jin Zhang, Kimberly-Clark’s global medical director, explained that rising temperatures from climate change cause the grass and tree pollen season to extend and start earlier and increases the amount of carbon dioxide emitted.

These changes, Jin said, will lead to higher pollen concentrations in the air.

This means many hay fever suffers could experience longer allergy seasons and an upsurge of allergy symptoms.

Research from Kleenex found that 67 per cent allergy sufferers think that pollution is the main factor when it comes to impact on allergies.

The findings suggest that 77 per cent of people have had worsening sneezes over the last 12 months.

This is while 64 per cent have had a worsening of itchy eyes and 48 per cent a runny nose – leading 55 per cent of Brits to cancel their plans.

BE PREPARED

If you know you struggle with tree pollen, it’s time to prepare and get your supplies ready.

While you can’t prevent a reaction, you can keep the symptoms under control using over the counter drugs.

Using tricks like sunglasses, Vaseline, switching up your diet and changing your clothes after being outside can help.

Omicron is still prevalent in the UK, with the milder Covid variant more likely to produce cold-like symptoms, similar to hay fever.

Because of this, it’s important that you know how to spot the difference between Omicron and hay fever.

Many people report a scratchy throat or runny nose as the most common or only symptom they have.

So if you don’t usually suffer from hay fever, or you want to be sure what you might have, it’s best to take a Covid test too.