GENEVA Allergy sufferers in the Lake Geneva region can expect a significant aggravation of their predicament because of record pollen counts predicted for the weeks leading up to summer. An estimated 15–20% of residents suffer from hay fever and related ailments on a regular basis, but health specialists maintain that even normally resistant individuals may find themselves grabbing for their handkerchiefs. As well as sneezing, symptoms include irritation of the nose and eyes, coughs and fatigue.
With the recent cold weather delaying flowering by two to three weeks, there has been a more intense distribution of pollen from multiple sources ranging from tree blossoms to grasses. Pollen counts may worsen as May progresses. The best precaution, experts say, is to refrain from drying laundry in the open air or doing outdoor sports. The Swiss, however, have recently tested a new and extremely effective nasal spray, Dymista, comprising two key substances, azelastine and fluticasone. According to Prof. Claus Bachert, head of the University Hospital in Gand in Belgium, the spray, which has been tested on 4,500 patients and is now available in pharmacies. It takes 10 minutes to start working and helps ward off further irritation and allergy symptoms, but does not cure hay fever.