March should be remembered as the month of sneezing and running noses in Islamabad.

By Nisar Ahmad

Spring has returned, and flowers are blooming everywhere; while this is a blessing, it is also an annoyance for me, as I can't sleep well at night or work well during the day. This time of year, sneezing is so bad that may God be our refuge.... A constant runny nose from the top is a distinct ailment... Because I am more sensitive this time, I did some research and discovered that the paper mulberry tree has wreaked havoc on the environment, with the pollen count in the air peaking at... 32860 Count ( per m3of air )

 Like every year, the residents of the pollen-allergy capital of the world, Islamabad, are once again suffering from severe respiratory allergy symptoms. The paper mulberry is expected to continue shedding its pollen for the next few weeks. Thereafter, the pollen grains may still remain in indoor and outdoor dust, and patients need to continue practicing their preventative measures and taking their medication until the third week of April, at least.

The symptoms of pollen allergy are the same as those of any other respiratory allergy, but the timing of symptoms is dependent upon the counts of the pollen to which a person is allergic. In Islamabad, the major pollen-causing allergy in spring season in from the paper mulberry tree (from the last week of February till mid-April), followed by the aggressive invasive weed parthenium (May onwards), and then the pollens of common bhang (cannabis sativa) from end-June till end-September. Paper mulberry pollens are the most allergy-causing, and perhaps the only pollen recorded in the world which has caused death due to pollen-induced asthma.


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