18 Jan Stay Safe this Summer: Asthma & Allergies

Timboon Ambulance Team Leader Chris Stewart is urging locals and visitors to the area this Summer to stay safe and look after each other.

Mr Stewart is also a member of Timboon and District Healthcare Service’s (TDHS) Board of Directors and said remaining vigilant about COVID-19 was first and foremost this Summer.

ASTHMA & ALLERGIES

We predict it is going to be a bad year for thunderstorm asthma with the predicted La Niña creating more storms.

During the early part of Summer in particular, while there is still pollen around, will mean the risk of thunderstorm asthma is very high.

If you suffer from asthma, please keep an eye on the weather forecast and on days listed as high risk if you find yourself short of breath dial 000 immediately.

It can manifest very quickly and be very serious. I’d rather be called early, even if we’re not needed because if we are called too late it gets very serious.

At the moment with COVID-19 restrictions there are issues with nebulised therapies, so we are actually administering intravenous adrenalin to these severe asthma cases.

It is a very serious thing – in November 2018 there were nine deaths in Melbourne and many many more people were really sick.

By Chris Stewart