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Community Corner

High Pollen Counts Hit Chicagoland

Maple, birch, ash and oak hickory pollens are in the air.

If you’ve been feeling under the weather, congested or just plain out of it for the last two days, it may be due to the high pollen counts that have been reported in the Chicagoland area.

According to several websites that track national pollen levels, Winnetka and other Chicago suburbs have been experiencing high levels of tree pollen and moderate-to-high levels of ragweed and mold pollen.

The websites listed maple, birch, ash and oak hickory pollens as the most prevalent.

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Tuesday’s local pollen counts were the highest in the past month, according to Pollen.com. Though levels have dropped slightly and may continue to lower this week, several websites predict pollen counts will jump up again this weekend as winds pick up.

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The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases lists runny nose, sneezing, itchy eyes, congestion of the nose, and red and watery eyes as symptoms of pollen allergies.

However, there seems to be no easy way to avoid these symptoms.

“Short of staying indoors with the windows closed when the pollen count is high – and even that may not help – people have no easy way to avoid breathing in pollen that floats in the air,” reads the institute’s website.

But pollen counts tend to be highest early in the morning on warm, dry, windy days, and lowest during wet periods, the website states. So you may be able to avoid particularly bad spans.

Additionally, the institute’s websites recommends medication to treat pollen allergy symptoms, including antihistamines, topical nasal steroids, cromolyn sodium and decongestants.

Websites that reported high local pollen counts include Pollen.com, Weather.com, WebMD.com and Accuweather.com.

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