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Date Published: 13/05/2021
ARCHIVED - More than 30 provinces of Spain with high pollen counts this week; allergies abound
May is peak allergy season in Spain as flowering nettles, grass and olive trees, are causing a rise in pollen levels across the country
Pollen count levels are high right across the country this weekend, due particularly to grass, olive trees and nettles, which have reached maximum levels as they approach the peak of their flowering. Pollen allergies affect more than eight million people in Spain and May is normally the worst month, as the pollen levels reach their highest point of the year.
The most common types of allergies in May are grass, nettles, olive trees and hybrid plane trees. The pollen from these plants cause symptoms such as nasal congestion, rhinitis, sneezing, itchy eyes, excessive mucus and respiratory difficulties.
High temperatures, rain and longer daylight hours all contribute to an increase in the flowering of many species of plants, causing pollen indexes and allergies to soar in many parts of the country.
The number of provinces whose pollen count have reached the maximum level (high) is now 16, whereas last week the figure was 12, and the number of provinces with a moderate level of pollen is now over 30.
The most badly affected regions of Spain are Andalucía, Castilla-La-Mancha, Cataluña, Extremadura, Madrid and Murcia.
Different species of plant are causing the high and moderate pollen levels in the different provinces. Pollen from grass is the culprit of the high level in Badajoz, Cáceres, Ciudad Real, Córdoba, Madrid, Murcia, Sevilla and Toledo, while this species has caused a moderate level in Albacete, Asturias, Cuenca, Guadalajara, Huelva and Jaén.
Meanwhile, olive trees are causing high pollen counts in Albacete, Almería, Córdoba, Granada, Guadalajara, Jaén, Madrid, Málaga, Murcia and Toledo, and medium pollen levels in the Balearics, Barcelona, Ciudad Real and Tarragona. These trees are mainly affecting the East of the peninsula and the Balearic Islands.
Nettles are responsible for the high indexes in Albacete, Guadalajara, Murcia and Zaragoza. Almería, Barcelona, Cuenca, Lleida and Pontvedra report a moderate pollen count for this plant.
Finally, pollen from oaks and holm oaks is causing moderate levels in a large number of provinces: Albacete, Ávila, Barcelona, Jaén, La Rioja, León, Murcia, Navarra, Palencia, Segovia, Valladolid, Zamora and Zaragoza. These trees are also causing high pollen counts in Córdoba, Guadalajara, Girona, Madrid and Toledo.
Anyone suffering from extreme effects of these pollen allergies is advised to seek medical assistance. Pharmacies sell a wide range of products to help with minor effects of allergies, but doctors in Spain are well accustomed to dealing with the more severe side-effects of pollen allergies and can prescribe a range of treatments and even injections to assist allergy sufferers.
It is practically impossible to get away from the pollen at this time of year, as even clothes on washing lines can pick up large quantities of pollen on these warm, windy spring days.
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