Hay fever sufferers offered free pollen alert app

Hay fever sufferers across the country are being offered help to gain relief from sneezing and itchy eyes with a new iPhone application launched today.

The free Pollen Alert app provides a daily, province-by-province forecast and warns users of low, moderate or high pollen levels.

The product – available on the Asthma Society of Ireland website – also provides an outlook for the following day.

The society’s chief executive Dr Jean Holohan claimed this summer had been particularly bad for the estimated 423,000 people plagued with hay fever in Ireland.

She said: “The cold snap in January delayed the spring bloom – subsequent rains and now the current good weather have created the perfect storm in terms of pollen and hay fever.

“These are boom conditions for pollen production.”

Dr Holohan said hay fever sufferers could take a number of steps to keep symptoms at bay.

“Splash water on your eyes to flush out pollen and soothe the eyes, don’t hang your clothes outside to dry, wear a hat and wraparound shades to keep pollen away from your eyes and keep pets outdoors – they can bring pollen inside,” she added.

The Pollen Alert application was developed by the website irishhealth.com and pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis.