The London Weather Station

By Martin Stern, http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~aair/hayfever.htm

Why hayfever is important:
Hayfever affects 15 to 20 % of the population in Britain, where it is mainly caused by grass pollen. In other countries other pollens cause major 'hayfever' as well; ragweed in the USA, birch tree pollen in Scandinavia, and cedar pollen in Japan, for example.

Regarded as trivial by the ignorant, hayfever varies from mild forms which are indeed trivial to a severity which is crippling during the season. Sufferers may be unable to work or drive, and we know that school and exam performance is worse in young people who have untreated hayfever. Out-of-date treatments still widely used relieve the symptoms but produce drowsiness which affects driving and exam or academic performance badly.

Good modern treatment, which should be available to anyone with bad hayfever, helps nearly everyone so much that life during the hayfever season becomes normal again. A very few people have such bad hayfever that ordinary treatments are not enough. But there are other treatments, and no-one needs to be disabled by hayfever.

A specialist in allergy should be able to help if you still have bad hayfever after your family doctor has tried all the treatments there seem to be.

Hayfever is seasonal

The main hayfever season in central Britain starts in the first half of June and continues to mid-July or occasionally early August, though there is grass pollen in the atmosphere before and especially after this.

The dates are about a week earlier in the south of England, and one or two weeks later in Scotland.

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