Bad news for allergy sufferers globally is that warmer temperatures are causing plants to produce more pollen over a longer period, while the increasing levels of carbon pollution in the air from burning fossil fuels can make allergy symptoms worse, report Harvard University researchers.
At the same time, new surveillance data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show warmer summers, milder winters and fewer days of frost are making it easier for viral infections (which include colds, flu and Covid-19) to expand into new geographic areas and infect more people.
If you find yourself sneezing and coughing, it can be tricky to tell which you have – an allergy or a viral infection. It’s important to know the difference, so you can take the right measures to treat it, and precautions to help prevent it in future.
Spot the difference
Viral infections, as the name indicates, are caused by viruses – flu is caused by a strain of the influenza virus; the common cold, most often by a rhinovirus; and Covid-19, by the coronavirus.
Allergies, on the other hand, are caused by your immune system over-responding to exposure to allergens, such as seasonal tree or grass pollens. If you are allergic, immune cells in your nose, eyes, mouth and throat release histamines that cause itching and watering, in an attempt to wash away the allergen.
Viral infections and allergies can share many of the same symptoms, including a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing and a sore throat, but there are differences. If you have a cough, fever, fatigue, exhaustion, a headache and body aches, you probably have flu, which will generally resolve itself within 10 days unless you develop complications such as bronchitis or pneumonia. If the symptoms persist or you have more severe illness, you may have Covid-19; only testing can truly tell.
But if, along with sneezing and an itchy nose, you have clear nasal discharge, red, watery itchy eyes and an itchy mouth or inner ear, it’s likely to be allergy, says Clicks expert Dr Aadil Khan. In pollen season, symptoms are likely to last for weeks at a time.
Take action
If you have a viral infection, stay away from others you may infect. Keep well-hydrated with water, juice, clear soup or warm lemon water. Relieve a sore throat by gargling with salt water and sucking throat lozenges; combat a blocked nose and congestion with over-the-counter nasal drops and sprays; and control aches, pains and fever with the likes of ibuprofen. Rest well. If you get worse or have complications, see your health provider. Get the flu vaccine each year, have your Covid-19 shots, and wash your hands often to help keep infection at bay.
If you have an allergy, follow the pollen counts for your area and schedule outdoor activities around them. When counts are high, keep the windows of your home and car closed, stay indoors at peak times (mid-morning and early evening), and if you venture out, wear a Covid face mask and wraparound shades, and change clothes and shower when you get home.
To relieve symptoms, speak to an allergy expert about testing, to narrow down the pollen culprits causing them, and discuss the most fitting treatment, says Professor Mike Levin, CEO of the Allergy Foundation of South Africa. Options range from antihistamines (newer ones are non-sedating and safe for long-term use), to decongestants, nasal washouts, steroid sprays, oral steroids and allergy immunotherapy, to build tolerance over time.
Also read: Stop allergies in their tracks
IMAGE CREDIT: 123rf.com