With spring around the corner, allergy season has officially begun in North Carolina.
According to WRAL meteorologist Aimee Wilmoth during this time of year, it is the tree pollen that causes people’s allergies as winter is replaced by spring.
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“What we have this week is really warm temperatures. Those trees are really starting to flower and bloom and that’s why we are starting to see those numbers climb,” Wilmoth said.
Pullen Park in Raleigh is a popular site for families and their children.With the warmer weather, the park is seeing families play on the swings, see the fountain and ride on the train.
However as the temperature goes up, so does the pollen count.
The Division Chief of UNC Pediatric Allergy & Immunology, Dr. Edwin Kim said the immune systems think that tree pollen is dangerous and something to be fought off.
“Occasionally what ends up happening is that the immune system can sometimes overreact to things that are completely safe and benign,and pollen is one of those,” Kim said.
According to Kim, when a person is first exposed to pollen, the body creates antibodies because it thinks something bad has entered the immune system.
“It actually creates sort of a histamine that leads to the allergic symptoms that people are always running into every spring,” he added.
Kim said that 33% to 50% of the North Carolina population is affected by seasonal allergies. He recommends getting ahead of the symptoms by having medication like nasal sprays and antihistamines ready to go.
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Isha is a senior at UNC Chapel Hill. She is majoring in journalism and double minoring in public policy. She is from Clemson, South Carolina and is studying to be an reporter.