Victorians are to be warned about high-risk events this pollen season as VicEmergency launches a thunderstorm asthma monitoring, prediction and alert system.
Welcoming the Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma Risk Forecasting System, Minister for Health, Mary-Anne Thomas said the System would help ensure that people at risk during grass pollen season were aware of high-risk days and could take the right actions to protect themselves and their loved ones.
“Grass pollen season, which typically runs from the start of October until the end of December, brings with it a seasonal increase in asthma and hay fever and the chance of thunderstorm asthma,” Ms Thomas said.
“When large numbers of people develop asthma symptoms over a short period of time, caused by high amounts of grass pollen and a certain type of thunderstorm, it is known as epidemic thunderstorm asthma,” she said.
“The forecasting system, which will operate until 31 December, forecasts three days in advance and provides a low (green), moderate (orange) or high (red) risk forecast across the nine Victorian weather districts.”
Ms Thomas encouraged all Victorians who may have asthma or seasonal hay fever to download the VicEmergency app and set up a watch zone, so they were alerted on high-risk days.
The VicEmergency Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma Risk Forecasting System can be accessed at this PS News link.
