ISLAMABAD: People with pollen allergies will face mild or no symptoms at all if the start taking allergy medication before the pollen season begins, the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) spokesperson said on Saturday.

Dr Waseem Khawaja also recommended that people who suffer from pollen allergies visit the pulmonology outpatient department to start their medication.

“Symptoms will be very minor if pollen allergy patients start taking medicines two weeks before the start of the pollen allergy season. Pims has decided to transfer more staff to the emergency department to treat pollen allergy patients during the season,” he said.

He added that people with allergy symptoms can visit the pulmonology outpatient department between 8am and 2pm.

The pollen count in the air increases in the spring, causing allergy symptoms such as sneezing, respiratory problems, eye rashes and red skin. A major source of pollen in Islamabad is paper mulberry trees, which cause the pollen court to reach 35,000 per cubic metre in March.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2018