ISLAMABAD, April 1: The allergy vaccine available in the market today will be replaced by a new and improved formula in near future, Dr Shahid Abbas, an allergy specialist, told this reporter.

He said a very tiny quantity — 0.01 per cent to 0.05 per cent — of the vaccine actually provided relief to the patients, while the remaining content was “debris”. Scientists world over are trying to remove debris or extra part of the vaccine so that only the effective portion can be used for treatment.

“Deoxyribo Nucleus Acid (DNA), is the new and improved allergy vaccine, which will prove to be very effective,” Dr Abbas said, adding that it would have no side effects, besides a lesser dosage was required for treatment.

Although, the vaccine in use today is very effective as 70 to 80 per cent people get relief, there are side effects, he said. There are separate causes for different types of allergies and DNA will be most effective against all types.

The allergy specialist said pollens were tiny egg-shaped male cells of flowering plants. Their microscopic powdery granules are necessary for plant fertilization. Besides their main role in the plant reproductive cycle, some pollens behave as allergens too.

“Nine pollen granules per cubic meter of air can be as damaging and harmful as 30,000 pollen granules per cubic meter of air,” Dr Abbas said. He said not everyone was allergic to Paper Mulberry. People can also develop symptoms from pollens released from grass.

He said pollens caused asthma, hay fever, sneezing, running nose, itchy and watery eyes, headaches, loss of memory and concentration, puffy and swollen faces etc. During the flowering season when pollens dominate the atmosphere, patients are frequently seen wearing masks.

Dr Abbas said anthers of flowers opened with sunlight early in the morning, exposing pollen granules to light and heat. All the water stored in the pollen evaporates, making them lighter. Winds carry these granules upto the height of 2,000 meters. This process starts from around 7am and continues till 11am.

“All day long these pollen granules absorb water in the sky at high altitude and from 4pm to 11pm they fall back to the ground, and during this time, people sensitive to pollen should stay in door,” Dr Abbas said.

He said winds could carry pollen to a distance, ranging from 200 miles to 2,000 miles, and over sea pollen could travel as far as 400 miles.

Out of a total of 350,000 plant species, 220,000 are flowering plants, and the ones which produce and release pollen are inconspicuous, dull, less attractive flowers with hardly any scent, the expert said. The big colourful flowers with scent do not produce pollen.

A single tree can produce and release millions of pollen granules. One Sessile Oak tree produces about 654,400,000 pollen granules, while Betula Alba produces as many as 5,562,400,000. — Jamal Shahid