People with asthma and hayfever are being advised to be aware of the triggers and manage their symptoms when attending Indiependence this weekend in Cork.
02/08/2018
“I’m looking forward to a great weekend at Indiependence this weekend. The weekend should be an opportunity for people to kick back, enjoy great music and entertainment and it only takes a few simple preventative measures to make sure you are have the best weekend of your life!” said Sarah O’Connor, CEO of the Asthma Society.
“As someone with hayfever and asthma, I’m really encouraging others to bring their inhaler and hayfever medication to the festival. The advice is simple: keep your inhalers with you at all times and have a back-up with you lose them. I’ll be making sure that my friends know what to do in an emergency and that we all know where the medical tent is located. If you are heading to Indiependence too and you suffer from hayfever, make sure you have an adequate supply of your medication and check daily pollen levels at asthma.ie.”
With almost one in five people in Ireland suffering from hay fever and over 470,000 from asthma, the Asthma Society of Ireland is advising people to be prepared in order to avoid unnecessary sneezing, wheezing and watery eyes, but, most importantly, to avoid triggering a serious asthma attack during these fun outdoor events.
The Asthma Society of Ireland advises people with asthma and or hayfever when attending festivals this season:
• Be prepared: Have a plan in place to manage your hayfever and asthma
• Know where the medical tents are
• Remember your medication; bring a backup supply
• Eat well and avoid or reduce alcohol intake
• Never smoke
• Be aware of the current pollen forecast on asthma.ie
• Tell friends about your asthma/hayfever, be sure they what to do in an emergency
• Have an Asthma Attack card with you at all times, available at asthma.ie
Asthma is a chronic condition which affects almost half a million people in Ireland with up to 80% of those also having hay fever.
Grass pollen is the most common allergen with 90% of people with hayfever affected by it. A live Pollen Feed, sponsored by Dyson and GSK, is available on asthma.ie. Possible triggers for hay fever include weather changes, pollen, moulds, dust, exercise, alcohol, and air pollutants such as cigarette smoke and aerosols - all of which are common at a festival or outdoor event.
The Asthma Society of Ireland’s free patient Asthma Adviceline offers patients the chance to ask an asthma nurse specialist confidential questions about their asthma. Call 1800 44 54 64, Monday to Friday, 09:00 - 17:00, to book an appointment with the Asthma Adviceline nurse.
