Seasonal allergies are stronger than ever

This spring, as always, seasonal allergies have taken the world by storm. Over 50 million Americans struggle with their allergies. The only difference about this past year than any others is that winter has been warmer than usual. Flowers and all sorts of plants have been blooming earlier and as a result, earlier pollination

“My allergies have been so much worse this year,” said junior Maddie Theisen. 

A warmer winter causes trees, flowers and plants to have a longer growth period producing more pollen. Some plants have started blooming as early as January making April and May so much worse for people with these seasonal allergies. Even though not everyone gets their allergies around the same time, experts are predicting seasonal allergies to come about a month or two earlier than expected. 

“We have seen more students for allergy related symptoms this spring most likely because students were required to wear masks during the school day last spring and this past fall,” said school nurse Michele Donner. 

An impactful way to reduce symptoms for seasonal allergies other than taking medicine is to wear a mask when leaving the house. While it’s not a very popular way to treat allergies ,it has recently been found to work very well to minimize any risk. Medicine like Zytec and Allegra are great ways to treat symptoms but because only one tablet can be taken every 24 hours, the school doctor for Central York does not condone the school nurses to give out to students. The best way for students to limit their allergies this season is to take a 24 hour medicine at home and then get eye drops or a salt gargle as needed from the school nurses.