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Warning To Hay Fever Sufferers As 5-day 'pollen Bomb' Could Trigger 3 Nasty Infections

FROM stuffing up your nose, to tickling your throat and making your head feel fuzzy, pollen allergies can manifest in a number of different parts of your body.

Itchy, red and streaming eyes is a misery most hay fever sufferers know all too well.

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Hay fever can affect your nose, eyes, head and throat

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Hay fever can make your peeper more vulnerable to infections like styesCredit: Alamy

But the agony of hay fever might not end there for some.

A GP has warned that the ongoing 'pollen bomb' swirling around the UK could trigger three types of nasty infections in hay fever sufferers' eyes.

GP, Dr Nisa Aslam advisor to www.Goldeneyecare.Co.Uk eye infection treatment, said it could increase the risk of allergic eye conditions and eye infections, such as conjunctivitis, styes and blepharitis, bringing unexpected misery for many.

She explained that hay fever is caused by the reaction of the immune system to pollen, which triggers the release of histamine.

This in turn will cause unpleasant hay fever symptoms to manifest, such as a runny, blocked nose, sneezing, coughing, and itchy, red eyes.

Dr Aslam said your peepers can be especially sensitive to allergens like pollen, which causes hay fever.

"When pollen invades the eyes, they become itchy, watery, swollen and red," she explained.

"And if we rub our eyes – which is very tempting when they itch – they become susceptible to infections such as styes, conjunctivitis or blepharitis."

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Styes are small, painful lumps that appear on the eyelid, which can make the sensitive skin around your peeper red and swollen.

Conjunctivitis - also known as red or pink eye - can be caused by allergies and infections, leaving peepers red, burning and gritty feeling, with pus that sticks to lashes.

My hay fever symptoms turned out to be an allergy to every day items like crisp packets, makeup and drink cans

Finally, blepharitis can makes eyelids swollen and itchy, with flakes and crusts clogging the roots of the lashes.

"Such eye conditions require immediate treatment to prevent them getting worse," Dr Aslam said.

She recommended the GoldenEye Eye Ointment for all three eye conditions, as it contains antiseptics to help stop bacteria from growing and multiplying, or the Golden Eye Drops, which also have antifungal properties

For acute bacterial conjunctivitis, she recommended the GoldenEye Antibiotic Eye Ointment.

Hay fever symptoms and how to treat them

HAY FEVER can cause a range of different symptoms, affecting your nose, throat, eyes and sometimes even your ears.

Typical symptoms include:

Sneezing and coughing

A runny or blocked nose

Itchy, red or watery eyes

Itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears

Less commonly, you may also experience:

Loss of smell

Pain around the sides of your head and your forehead caused by blocked sinuses

Headache

Earache

Tiredness

To ease sneezing or a runny and blocked nose, try using a nasal spray alongside antihistamines.

And to soothe dry, sore and watery eyes, allergy relief drops can be used to help.

Here's other things you can do to ease your symptoms when the pollen count is high.

Put Vaseline around your nostrils to trap pollen

Wear wraparound sunglasses to stop pollen from getting into your eyes

Shower and change your clothes after you have been outside to wash pollen off

Stay indoors whenever possible

Keep windows and doors shut as much as possible

Vacuum regularly and dust with a damp cloth

Buy a pollen filter for the air vents in your car and a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter

Try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people if you have a high temperature or you do not feel well enough to do your normal activities

Source: NHS

The NHS recommends treating these eye conditions at home, relieving your peepers with warm flannels and painkillers and getting advise from a pharmacist if they don't go away within a few days.

Dr Aslam also shared some tips for taking care of your eyes during hay fever season, to prevent infections in the first place.

"Thoroughly wash the eyes each night to get rid of any pollen left in the eye.

"Try to keep windows, including car windows, closed to prevent entry of pollen and for best eye protection wear wraparound sunglasses when the pollen count is high.

"Keep an eye on the Met Office pollen forecast. Also avoid going outside when the pollen count is at its highest – in the middle of the morning or the early evening."

The Met Office has been issuing warnings about surging pollen counts, with 'very high' levels expected to continue until the end of this week in most of the UK.

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Pollen counts were 'very high' on Tuesday across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as Strathclyde in Scotland

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Pollen spread will remain at similar levels across the week More intense pollen seasons

Dr Aslam said: "Hay fever is getting increasingly common, with 49 per cent of people suffering from hay fever symptoms.

"The pollen season is getting longer which is considered to be caused by climate change.

"Atmospheric change affects the release of pollen and a study showed that the start of the pollen season is occurring 10-40 days earlier and with greater intensity.

"Northern countries like the UK are expected to fare the worst because of larger temperature increases."

And contrary to what you might assume, your hay fever symptoms might be worse in the city rather than the countryside.

According to the GP: "Tree pollen could be worse in cities due to increasing traffic and urbanisation and research has also found that outdoor air pollution increases the allergic strength of tree pollen as a result of changing the structure of the pollen proteins."

The best hay fever treatments on a budget

1. Allergy Eye Mist

If you hate the thought of drops, consider an eye mist which works in the same way – just spray it once or twice onto closed eyelids to to three times a day.

Try Optrex hay fever relief eye drops, 10ml - £6, from Tesco.

2. Cetirizine Allergy & Hay Fever Tablets

Products containing Cetirizine work to combat allergies without making you feel tired.

Superdrug's pack of 30 tablets comes in at £5.45.

3. Hay Fever Relief Nasal Spray

For over-the-counter relief you could try Pirinase Allergy Relief Nasal Spray for Adults x 60 Sprays from Pharmacy2U, £4.98

Or for something on prescription, try Beclometasone Nasal Spray from ChemistClick, £5.49.

4. Vaseline

Dabbing a little bit of petroleum jelly around the edges of your nose works as a barrier to trap pollen before you breathe it in.

Get a 50g pot for £1.80 at Boots.

5. The Eye Doctor Allergy Hay Fever Compress

The Eye Doctor Allergy Hay Fever Compress has thermal dynamic fabric, which uses regulated evaporation to cool more rapidly.

It helps to reduce puffiness, swelling, itching, inflammation and even headaches, and comes with an adjustable comfy strap.

You can buy it at Superdrug for £8.99.

6. Throat spray

Ultra Chloraseptic Anaesthetic Throat Spray contains the active ingredient benzocaine which belongs to the group of medicines called local anaesthetics.

You can buy Ultra Chloraseptic Anaesthetic Throat Spray for £6 from Amazon

Connecticut Woman Contracts Deadly Flesh-eating Infection Spreading At Rapid Levels In Japan

A critically ill Connecticut woman has been treated for the same life-threatening, flesh-eating infection that is plaguing Japan. 

The American patient was admitted to her local hospital after experiencing symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, shortness of breath, elevated heart rate and low blood pressure. 

Subsequent medical scans showed fluid buildup in the patient's lungs as well as respiratory and kidney failure. 

Doctors maintain the woman's illness is the result of Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS), a lethal bacterial infection that has claimed the lives of 77 people in Japan this year alone. 

STSS is stateside and causing concern among health care professionals. Puhhha – stock.Adobe.Com Scans revealed the Connecticut patient has fluid in her lungs. Lashkhidzetim – stock.Adobe.Com

After three days in intensive care, the woman stopped urinating, and one of her toes turned black, a symptom of necrosis. 

The case report was published in the journal Cureus.

Doctors believe the patient, who is asthmatic, contracted STSS by breathing in infected air droplets. Prior to her hospitalization, several of the patient's family members had been diagnosed with strep throat. The common illness, defined by throat pain and discomfort when swallowing, is caused by the bacteria group A Streptococcus (group A strep).

Most group A strep infections cause mild illnesses like strep throat. However, when that bacteria spreads to the blood and deep tissue, it can trigger the development of STSS, which kills 30% of patients who are affected. 

STSS can cause necrosis and in some instances, requires amputation. Shutterstock / DrCHAMPGO

STSS often results from bacteria being exposed to an open wound, which allows the bacteria to access deeper tissue. STSS begins with common flu-like symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, fever, chills and muscle aches. As it progresses, it can cause blood pressure to drop and heart rate to accelerate, provoking organ failure. 

As in the case of the Connecticut patient, STSS attacks healthy tissue, eroding flesh, which, in some instances, calls for amputation. 

The Connecticut patient has completed a course of antibiotics and inpatient rehab, though doctors note she may still require amputation of the affected toe. 

When the bacteria that cause strep throat affects deeper tissue, the results can be deadly. Pormezz – stock.Adobe.Com

Cases of STSS have spiked in Japan; 1,000 people have been infected this year alone, and 77 have died. Experts believe the surge results from immunity debt, the weakening of the immune from lack of exposure to a diverse group of pathogens. 

"We can boost immunity if we are constantly exposed to bacteria. But that mechanism was absent during the coronavirus pandemic," Dr. Ken Kikuchi of Tokyo Women's Medical University explained. "So, more people are now susceptible to infection, which may be one reason for the sharp rise in cases."

Despite the string of cases in Japan, experts maintain that influenza and COVID-19 infections are much higher. 

Experts blame rising rates of STSS on immunity debt. Nyul – stock.Adobe.Com

As Bloomberg reported, Japan's health ministry has assured tourists planning to visit the country that there is no need to cancel or amend their travel plans.

Regarding STSS and the US, experts stress that a surge or spread is unlikely. However, they urge patients to be vigilant about caring for open wounds and to seek medical attention if they experience any of the symptoms associated with STSS.

Japan Sees Sharp Surge In Flesh Eating Bacteria Infection; Here's Everything To Know About It

In a development that sounds like the plot of a horror film, Japan is currently grappling with a significant increase in cases of a lethal "flesh-eating" bacterial infection. This alarming rise has caught the attention of health professionals and the general public alike, prompting urgent discussions about its causes, symptoms, and treatments.

Japan has reported over 1,000 cases of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) since January, surpassing the total number of cases recorded in the entire previous year. This spike has led to heightened concern among health officials and researchers.

STSS is a severe disease caused by the bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes. While this bacteria often results in common ailments such as throat infections, it can also lead to a more serious condition known as toxic shock syndrome. This condition can escalate quickly, causing toxic shock and organ failure within days of infection. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), even with treatment, STSS can be fatal, with a mortality rate of up to 30%.

Causes and Transmission

The exact reason for the surge in STSS cases in Japan is currently unclear. Health experts have yet to determine how the bacteria are entering the bodies of nearly half of the affected individuals. Japan's National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) has acknowledged the many unknown factors regarding the mechanisms behind severe streptococcal infections, indicating that more research is needed to fully understand this phenomenon.

STSS is not limited to Japan; it occurs globally at low levels. However, the dramatic increase in Japan has raised concerns about the potential for similar outbreaks in other countries. As of now, other regions, including the US, have not seen a comparable rise in cases.

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Why STSS is So Deadly

Streptococcus pyogenes, the bacteria responsible for STSS, can reside on the skin without causing illness. However, when it penetrates deeper tissues or the bloodstream, it releases exotoxins that can destroy cells and tissues, leading to the "flesh-eating" description. The rapid progression of the infection can cause organ failure in a matter of days. Initial symptoms like fever, chills, and muscle aches can quickly evolve into more severe conditions such as low blood pressure and organ failure within 24 to 48 hours.

Symptoms and Early Warning Signs

Early symptoms of STSS include fever, chills, muscle aches, nausea, and vomiting. These symptoms can rapidly progress to low blood pressure, increased heart rate, and respiratory distress. In more severe cases, the infection can cause tissue death and multi-organ failure. Prompt medical attention is crucial to manage these symptoms and prevent complications.

Treatment Options

STSS requires immediate hospitalisation. Initial treatment focuses on managing shock and organ failure, with fluid resuscitation being a critical first step. Early administration of antibiotics is essential. Standard treatment typically involves a combination of penicillin and clindamycin. Health professionals should closely monitor patient progress and adjust antibiotic therapy within the first 24-48 hours based on the patient's response. In cases where the infection has spread to deep tissues, surgical intervention may be necessary to remove the infected tissue and prevent the further spread of the bacteria. For severely ill patients, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) can be considered, although its efficacy remains unproven.

Prevention and Risk Factors

STSS is most prevalent among older adults, particularly those over 65, and individuals with underlying health conditions such as diabetes or alcohol use disorders. Open wounds and recent surgeries also increase the risk of developing STSS. Therefore, it is vital for individuals with open wounds to keep them covered and avoid contact with those who have Group A streptococcal infections.

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Is STSS Contagious?

While STSS itself is not highly contagious, less severe infections caused by Group A Streptococcus can spread easily through respiratory droplets or direct contact with infected sores. Preventative measures include avoiding contact with infected individuals and seeking prompt treatment for any Group A strep infections.

Bottomline

The sharp rise in STSS cases in Japan is a cause for concern, highlighting the need for increased awareness and research into this deadly infection. Understanding the symptoms, seeking early treatment, and taking preventive measures are crucial steps in managing the spread and impact of this severe bacterial infection. As health experts continue to investigate the causes behind the surge, public health initiatives and personal vigilance remain essential in combating the threat of STSS.

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