Thunderstorm in Melbourne causes asthma spike, 2 dead

A 2000 case study of hospitalizations in Wagga Wagga, southern Australia, concluded that people with medical histories of rye grass and hay fever allergies had worsened asthma during October thunderstorms.

In a rare case of “thunderstorm asthma”, strong winds near Melbourne on Monday sent massive amounts of rye grass pollen into the air, making it hard for many to breathe, reports the BBC.

The city of 4.4 million people ran out of ambulances and police cars helped to ferry stricken people to hospitals, while pharmacies sold out of asthma inhalers.

Twenty-year-old law student and life-long asthma sufferer Hope Carnevali was one of three people who died during a mass occurrence of thunderstorm asthma. It caused rain-sodden ryegrass pollen to explode and disperse over the city.

Along with high winds, which can spread the pollen or particles over a great distance, it’s possible for hundreds or thousands of people to experience respiratory problems after inhaling these tiny particles into their lungs.

Doctor Mark Hotusaid he arrived at 16-year-old Angelique’s Altona home about 4am Tuesday after she had woken up “unable to breathe” and been turned away from hospital.

“We don’t know if those deaths are related to this particular incident”.

A spokesman for Ambulance Victoria said: “Our thoughts are with the families of those patients”. The Asthma, Allergy and Immunology Institute (AAII) in MI says that “it is the airflow patterns in thunderstorms and not the electrical activity, thunder itself or rain that trigger asthma epidemics”.

Her family, who attempted CPR throughout the wait, have described Carnevali as a “kind-hearted, beautiful” woman. The consultant physician at AllergyNet Australia predicted thunderstorm asthma would strike before it did.

Victoria’s emergency management watchdog will review the state’s handling of Monday night’s “storm asthma”.

“Thunderstorm asthma is triggered when there is a sudden change in weather conditions”, explains Dr Simon Judkins, from the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.

It was an unprecedented night”, he said. “I have never seen the computer dispatch of Melbourne look like it.

In “regular” asthma, something triggers the muscles around a person’s airways to squeeze tight, swell and create more mucus.

“Because it’s so small, it will get into the lungs”, Robin Ould, head of a local asthma foundation, told the BBC. On Monday, the pollen count hit 102 grass grains per m3 of air recorded.