According to the National Aerobiological Surveillance Network (RNSA), the South-East currently presents a high risk of allergy to ragweed pollen, a very allergenic plant which causes rhinitis, conjunctivitis and asthma every year.
- 9 departments in the South-East of France are on high alert for allergies to ragweed pollen.
- The Drôme and the Ardèche are classified in red vigilance.
- The RNSA calls on allergy sufferers to be careful.
As every summer, ragweed pollen is back in the South-East of France, spoiling the last days of good weather for people with allergies.
According to the National Aerobiological Surveillance Network, the risk of allergy is particularly high in the departments of Drôme and Ardèche (classified in red vigilance), as well as in Vaucluse and Rhône (classified orange). Nièvre, Ain, Loire, Isère, Gard, Haute-Garonne and Ariège are also subject to special surveillance. “People allergic to these pollens must be careful and follow the treatments prescribed by doctors”advises the RNSA.
What is ambrosia?
Being the subject of two decrees published in the Official Journal aimed at limiting its proliferation, ragweed is a very allergenic weed whose pollens are released by its flowers throughout the summer. It is all the more harmful in that its pollens are not content to inconvenience the inhabitants of the areas in which it grows. “With the wind, ragweed pollen can travel hundreds of kilometres”explained in 2018 the RNSA.
Sometimes causing serious allergic attacks, ragweed is the cause of rhinitis, as well as asthma, conjunctivitis, urticaria and eczema in 1.2 million French people who are allergic to it.
Its harmful effects on health are further accentuated with air pollution, in particular that with fine particles. “There is a synergy between the increase in diesel particles and the increase in IgE allergy antibodies against pollen, explained in April to the site Top Health pulmonologist Frédéric de Blay, pulmonologist. The increase in CO2 in the atmosphere stimulates the production of pollen by plants, aggravating the symptoms of people suffering from allergic rhinitis or asthma.
Added to this are very mild weather conditions which, in the spring, favored the proliferation of ragweed. This particularly hot and sunny summer favored the release of pollen into the atmosphere.
How to protect yourself from ragweed pollen?
To guard against allergies triggered by ragweed, it is advisable to wear sunglasses outside and to avoid rubbing your eyes as much as possible in case of itching: it is better to apply eye drops. It is also recommended to ventilate your accommodation at least 10 minutes a day before sunrise and after sunset, to drive the car with the windows closed, not to dry clothes outside or to wash your hair at night before going to sleep. Finally, it is better not to practice outdoor sports activities during the pollen alert.
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