ISLAMABAD: The pollen count has fallen significantly during the last two days due to light rain and the cloudy weather the last few days, which has also lead to the lowering of temperature.

The met office recorded the pollen count from 9am on Thursday to 9am on Friday at 27,911 particles per cubic metre (PPCM) in the air in H-8.

The pollen count in Islamabad was at its highest in nine years on Tuesday at 82,270 PPCM and the pollen count in H-8 on that day was 43,330 PPCM

The pollen count has declined due to the arrival of clouds from the west.

“Though the weather was dry in the twin cities, light rain and thunderstorms were recorded in isolated places in Malakand, Hazara, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Kashmir which also brought cool winds to Islamabad,” said an official at the met office.

The met office initiated a monitoring of daily pollen counts after a large number of pollen allergy patients were recorded in the capital’s hospitals after the year 2000. The met office installed instruments at its headquarters in H-8 in 2003 and three more monitoring stations were installed later in F-10, E-8 and G-6.

The pollen count on Friday in E-8 was 13,442 PCM, G-6 was 11,517 PCM and in F-10 the total pollen count was 5,833 PCM.

The most abundant pollen types in Islamabad are from paper mulberry, acacia, eucalyptus, pines, grasses, cannabis, dandelion and a fungi called Alternaria. Paper mulberry contributes about 97pc of the pollen and its concentration increases to about 40,000 PCM at the peak blossom season.

With the fall in pollen count, the number of allergy patients at the pollen allergy centres established at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) and the Community Centre Aabpara has almost halved.

Pims received 300 patients on Friday and the hospital had received 700 patients on Thursday. The community centre received 146 patients on Friday, the fourth day since it was established, when it received 230 on Thursday.

However, Pims Media Coordinator Dr Waseem Khawaja said the number of patients reduced due to the national holiday.

“The number of patients always decreases during the holidays as most people leave for their native villages or make other plans,” he said.

Dr Khawaja said patients should wear allergy masks, hats, and glasses and avoid walking outside when the pollen count is high.

“People should not hang clothes outside to dry as pollen can stick to them. They should instead use a clothes dryer inside. Close windows, clean shoes when entering the house and change when you come home. People should also remove carpets,” he said.

He said those with pollen allergy should wash their hair and shower before going to bed and should use air conditioning.

District Health Officer Dr Mohammad Najeeb Durrani said 90 men, 39 women and 17 children visited the allergy camp in the community centre on Friday. The camp provides symptomatic treatment. The camp provides allopathic, homeopathic and tib treatment at three different counters so that patients can get the treatment they prefer.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2018