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Health: red alert in France for pollen allergy
Health: red alert in France for pollen allergy
(France 2)
A large part of France was placed on red alert for the risk of pollen allergies on Sunday May 12, while one in three French people are victims of allergies.
The Ascension Bridge marks the return of the sun and the less pleasant awakening of pollen allergies. In a pharmacy in Le Mans (Sarthe), patients flock in search of antihistamine drugs. A red pollen alert has been issued in the southwest, center and southeast of France. The rest of the country, on moderate alert, should be affected soon. The abundant rain in April favored the growth of grasses, such as wheat and barley. Recently, these plants have released their pollen.
20% of French people allergic to pollen
“For pollen to be released into the air, several conditions are necessary. First of all, the plant must have grown, which is the case, it has rained a lot, so the plants have grown a lot. You need a certain degree of temperatures and wind to disperse the pollen grains in the air”, explains allergist Dr Isabelle Bossé. Conditions met during the Ascension weekend and the phenomenon was accentuated by atmospheric pollution. In France 20% of the population is allergic to pollen.
