November 25, 2016.
It’s a rather surprising phenomenon that has happened in the Melbourne area, Australia. A severe thunderstorm triggered asthma attacks in more than 2,000 people.
Emergencies taken by storm
On Monday, November 21, the region of Melbourne, Australia, was hit by a severe thunderstorm. After several hot days, the rain was welcome, but this storm did not refresh the air: it made it suffocating. An explosion of weed pollen has indeed made the air unbreathable. Emergencies were stormed within hours.
In total, no less than 2,000 calls were made simultaneously to obtain assistance from the paramedics. That’s six times more than usual. ” Our doctors have never seen so many patients have the same symptoms at the same time », Said Kathy Bowlen, spokesperson for St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne, on 7sur7.be.
Three deceased people
Within moments, the inhabitants of the region indeed suffered from respiratory failures, including people who had never had asthma attacks before. Unfortunately, three people could not be rescued in time and died of suffocation, among them two young people of 18 and 20 years, as well as a person of 35 years.
But how to explain this meteorological phenomenon? During a thunderstorm, the change in atmospheric pressure is often accompanied by high humidity. In the case that interests us, this humidity level was so high that the pollen particles swelled strongly and, with the strong winds, spread very quickly to reach the bronchi of the inhabitants of the region.
Read also: Everything you need to know about asthma
