Have You Ever Heard of Thunder Fever?
If you have asthma and/or allergies, you're most at risk. I was reading a story about thunder fever, last year more than 8,500 people in Australia were hospitalized and nine died from severe asthma attacks. What's being blamed? Thunderstorms. Could this happen in the US? With rain expected over the weekend, and higher than average temps the last few days, it seems very possible.
"Prior to a thunderstorm, the humidity is high, causing pollen to absorb moisture and explode into tiny particles that get carried into the air." Once the wind kicks in, that pollen is brought up into the air, and you breathe it in. Because the particles are so small, they get deeper in the lungs than normal. This according to an interview between the Oklahoma Institute of Allergy and Asthma and KFRO.
I did more research, seeing as I was only seeing stories from out of the country, or down south, but it definitely seems like a possibility here in Minnesota. According to Snopes, "the term 'thunder fever' itself is not recognized by any scientific body, thunderstorm-associated asthma is a real and sometimes dangerous phenomenon."
Has anyone else noticed how terrible the allergy symptoms have been this year?