In the previous 24 hours, severe asthma reactions brought on by the weather sent hundreds of people to the hospital in Victoria.
Between 4 p.m. yesterday and 2.30 p.m. today, 231 Victorians were admitted to state emergency departments in the midst of thunderstorms with strong winds and high grass pollen.
A spokesman for the Victorian Government confirmed that during the previous month, there had been an increase in hospitalisations related to asthma.
“The average number of daily asthma-related emergency department presentations at Victorian public hospitals was 43,” said a spokesperson.
It happens a little more than a week after authorities alerted Victorians to the possibility of a deadly thunderstorm asthma season, citing predictions of epidemics in west and south Gippsland.
There have been 50 hospitalizations from the emergency department at Casey Hospital, 44 at Dandenong Hospital, 23 at Monash Medical Center, and 21 at Frankston Hospital in the last 24 hours.
Events related to thunderstorm asthma usually start in October, when pollen is carried into the atmosphere and spread by storms.
According to the forecast, this year’s grass pollen season in the state will be average, but officials are cautioning that things could change quickly.
In Melbourne, the risk of thunderstorm asthma yesterday was classified as moderate, but the forecast for today is low.
Even in the absence of symptoms, affected individuals are advised to adhere to an asthma action plan and take preventative medication as prescribed.
