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People with asthma or hay fever have always sought greater awareness of their condition during the spring months and have been given a timely reminder to prepare as grass pollen levels and thunderstorms increase the risk of thunderstorm asthma.
Google Trends has highlighted what people across Victoria have searched for when spring weather is about to turn stormy, with asthma being the most sought topic, particularly when storms have been forecast.
Thunderstorm asthma occurs when lightning shatters individual pollen grains into many tinier particles which are inhaled deeper into the lungs, causing more acute and life-threatening attacks.
The reminder from Goulburn Valley Health comes a decade after Victoria's devastating 2016 thunderstorm asthma event, which overwhelmed emergency services, caused thousands of respiratory emergencies, and was linked to nine deaths.
Public awareness was buoyed by online searching trends, which spiked when a large storm hit on 21-22 November and again in November 2020, when high pollen levels and severe weather warnings prompted health alerts across much of the state.
A spike in interest occurred again in late October 2023 when another significant storm occurred, suggesting that public awareness has grown over the past decade.
GV Public Health Unit clinical director Will Cross said now was the time for residents to review asthma action plans and ensure medications were on hand.
“The important thing is not to wait for that first storm to think about your asthma,” Dr Cross said.
“If you have asthma or seasonal hay fever, now is the time to make sure you are prepared.
"Speak with your GP about updating your asthma action plan and make sure you have your prescribed medication available and know how to use it."
You are at higher risk of thunderstorm asthma if you:
• Have seasonal hay fever
• Currently have asthma
• Have had asthma in the past
• Experience asthma-like symptoms but have not been diagnosed with asthma
People with hay fever who do not have a history of asthma can also experience breathing difficulties during a thunderstorm asthma event.
How to Prepare:
• Have an up to date asthma action plan.
• Talk to your GP about your asthma action plan and make sure you understand what to do if your symptoms worsen.
• Take your medication as prescribed.
• If you have been prescribed asthma medication, make sure you have enough available and carry it with you, particularly during spring. Make sure you know how to use your inhaler correctly.
• Check pollen and weather forecasts during spring through the Vic Emergency App or website, then follow health advice and consider staying indoors with windows and doors closed where possible.
• Know asthma first aid.
Make sure you and the people around you know what to do if someone has an asthma attack.
If symptoms do not improve after following asthma first aid, call Triple Zero (000).
For more information and resources on thunderstorm asthma, visit betterhealth.vic.gov.au/thunderstorm-asthma
This content is part of a paid partnership with Google to promote Google Trends. It uses Google Trends data to explore search interest in thunderstorm asthma. Google Trends data is aggregated and anonymous. Search interest is measured on a relative scale and does not represent total search volume.