Why allergy season could be particularly bad in Winnipeg this year

Poplar cotton is pictured in this undated image. (File)

Most visitors to Assiniboine Park on Tuesday said they’re looking forward to warmer temperatures and greener trees, but there’s one change in the season some people would like to avoid altogether—allergies.

“I get mild hay fever, like dust and pollen,” Nate Simon told CTV News while out for a walk. “Stuffy nose, watery eyes, that kind of thing.”

“Runny eyes, runny nose, and then I end up with a little cough,” fellow park visitor Lisa O’Hara said. “It’s not fun. I don’t like it.”

“My eyes start to water as soon as I touch my eyes, and then I have to rub them forever, and it just never goes away,” jogger Rick Shulz said.

And as the calendar turns to May, an Ottawa-based research lab is warning that hay fever could hit Winnipeg hard and fast in the coming weeks.

“One big punch that’s going to keep happening over and over again for about a month,” Daniel Coates, director of Aerobiology Research Laboratories, told CTV News.

Coates’ company analyzes air samples collected from across the country, and he said Winnipeg’s long, cold spring delayed pollination in some trees.

“What we’re seeing is early pollinators like maple, alder, elm, and cedar are all starting to pollinate now, but they’re colliding with what we call later pollinators like birch, oak, and poplar,” Coates explained.

“And those are all going to be in the air at the same time over the next few weeks in Winnipeg, making it quite potentially a very miserable start to the allergy season for allergy sufferers.”

Allergic rhinitis—or hay fever—is the overreaction to airborne particles like pollen and dust. It can lead to nasal inflammation, sneezing, congestion, and itchy eyes.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, between 20 and 25 per cent of Canadians deal with the chronic condition.

Dr. Nestor Cisneros, a Winnipeg pediatric allergist, said 24-hour antihistamines like Claritin, Allegra, or Reactine will typically help treat mild symptoms. He said people should start taking them before allergies start to flare up and continue taking them throughout the season.

“That seems to work quite well for patients,” Dr. Cisneros said. “However, some patients, particularly those who have itchy eyes, sometimes that may not be enough.”

He said other treatments include intranasal sprays, sublingual immunotherapy, and injectables.

Dr. Cisneros also recommends booking an appointment with an allergist to get tested and warns that these types of allergies can increase the risk of asthma, especially in younger people.

“Patients may present with coughing, wheezing, or shortness of breath during exercise or at nighttime,” he explained. “It’s a very critical time to treat those patients appropriately and know what their allergies are.”

He added anyone experiencing a severe allergic reaction or a potential asthma attack should call 911 or head to an emergency room.