What has happened to the pollen count?

“Frankly, it’s been so low this whole season so far, that we haven’t started reporting it yet!” says Dr George Car of CSU’s School of Biomedical Sciences.

Dr Car says the pollen count is the lowest ever in the ten years he has been monitoring it in the Wagga Wagga area. “In previous years, the grass pollen count would have been well into the moderate or even into the high range by mid-October.

“Most grass pollen sensitive people would be having symptoms of hay fever (red itchy eyes, runny noses) by now.”

So far, the grass pollen count has not risen above 10 grains per cubic meter of air. The low range is below 50 (when some sensitive people would be having mild symptoms), moderate is 50 to 150, and high is above 150, when all sensitive people would have symptoms, and most would have noticeable, uncomfortable symptoms, and be using their asthma medicine.

However, tree and shrub pollen levels are similar to previous years. “This is probably due to people watering their gardens – so the garden plants are protected from the dry, and produce their normal pollens. The pollen counter is located within Wagga Wagga itself.

“However grass pollens usually come from outside the city, carried in on the air. As it is so dry, the grass hasn’t developed and pollinated as usual,” Dr Car added.

This does not mean that there won’t be any grass pollen, but it is good news for hay-fever sufferers, as they are likely to have less severe symptoms over a shorter timeframe than in previous years. It also suggests that the danger period for thunderstorm-associated asthma epidemics will also be much shorter.

Tony Kolbe, Director Population Health, Greater Southern Area Health Service explains that, “in most years, the danger period for thunderstorm asthma is from mid October until mid November.

“The low grass pollen counts so far suggest that we may not have an epidemic this year, or if we do get a thunderstorm, that far fewer people are likely to be affected.”

Dr Bruce Graham, lecturer in the CSU School of Biomedical Sciences and member of the Asthma Collaborative Committee - a group of regional health professionals promoting asthma awareness - says it is not all good news. “However, there is still a lot of dust and other (tree and shrub) pollens, as well as fungal spores, in the air.

“This means that while people seem to have fewer hay-fever and asthma symptoms this year, many still have some coughing and throat-clearing symptoms associated with these air-borne particles.”