Epidemic thunderstorm asthma
Epidemic thunderstorm asthma
The information on this page is a comprehensive fact sheet on epidemic thunderstorm asthma.
Visit the
thunderstorm asthma public awareness campaign
to view resources, case studies and videos.
What is epidemic thunderstorm asthma?
View transcript
Grass pollen season brings a seasonal increase in
asthma
and
hay fever
. It also brings the chance of thunderstorm asthma. When a large number of people develop asthma symptoms over a short period of time, caused by high amounts of grass pollen and a certain type of thunderstorm, it is known as epidemic thunderstorm asthma.
Melbourne experienced the world’s largest epidemic thunderstorm asthma event on 21 November 2016, with thousands of people developing breathing difficulties in a very short period of time.
Epidemic thunderstorm asthma events are thought to be triggered by a unique combination of high grass pollen levels and a certain type of thunderstorm. Grass pollen grains get swept up in the wind and carried for long distances; some can burst open and release tiny particles that are concentrated in the wind gusts that come just before a thunderstorm. These particles are small enough to be breathed deep into the lungs and can rapidly trigger asthma symptoms, making it difficult to breathe.
This can become very severe, very quickly and many people may require medical help at the same time.
Thunderstorm asthma can affect those with
asthma
or
hay fever
– especially people who experience wheezing or coughing with their hay fever. That’s why it’s important for people with asthma or hay fever to know about thunderstorm asthma and what they can do to help protect themselves during grass pollen season.
When do epidemic thunderstorm asthma events take place?
Epidemic thunderstorm asthma events are uncommon and don’t occur every year. In south-east Australia they can happen during grass pollen season from October through December.
Who is at risk of thunderstorm asthma?
Those at risk of thunderstorm asthma include:
people with
asthma
people with undiagnosed asthma (i.e. people who have asthma symptoms but have not yet been diagnosed with asthma)
people who have had asthma in the past
people with
hay fever
who may or may not have asthma.
It’s important to remember:
People with hay fever in south-east Australia are likely to be
allergic to grass pollen
, and are therefore at increased risk of thunderstorm asthma.
Having both asthma and hay fever or poor control of asthma increases the risk further.
Thunderstorm asthma can affect people living in metropolitan, regional or rural areas, even if they don’t have a history of asthma.
It is important to understand that there are a large range of triggers that can set off a person’s asthma symptoms. Symptoms and treatment of epidemic thunderstorm asthma are essentially the same as
asthma triggered by other causes
.
Recognising asthma symptoms
View transcript
Asthma affects about one in 9 Australians and can start at any age – even as an adult. It is important to recognise asthma symptoms and see your
GP
if you experience any of them.
People with asthma may experience one or more of the following common symptoms:
wheezing – a high-pitched sound coming from the chest while breathing
breathlessness
a feeling of tightness in the chest
a persistent cough.
These symptoms mean that a person’s lungs (lower airways) are affected.
Asthma symptoms come and go over time, and you don’t need to have all of these symptoms to be diagnosed with asthma. Not every person experiences the same symptoms. Sometimes people with asthma don’t notice their symptoms, and sometimes they don’t address or manage their symptoms by seeing their GP or using their asthma medication.
People with well-controlled asthma have mild symptoms, less often.
A diagnosis of asthma is more likely if you have
eczema
or hay fever, or have close relatives with
allergies
and/or asthma, and if your symptoms:
keep coming back, or happen at the same time each year
are worse at night or in the early morning
are clearly triggered by exercise, allergies or infections
improve quickly with reliever medication.
Recognising hay fever symptoms
View transcript
Around one in 4 people with hay fever also have asthma, and it is important to recognise that pollen can trigger asthma as well as hay fever symptoms.
People with
hay fever
may experience one or more of the following common symptoms:
runny nose
itchy nose
sneezing
itchy, watery eyes.
These symptoms mean that a person’s eyes and upper airways are affected. Hay fever does not include symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath or chest tightness, which may be asthma symptoms.
If you have hay fever and have also experienced symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath or chest tightness, see your GP.
What you can do to protect yourself this pollen season
Epidemic thunderstorm asthma events are uncommon and don’t occur every year. However, it’s important for everyone in south-east Australia to know about epidemic thunderstorm asthma and what they can do to help protect themselves if an event does occur.
Everyone in the community should also know the signs and symptoms of asthma, and know
asthma first aid
so they know what to do if someone is having an asthma attack.
Protecting yourself if you are at increased risk of thunderstorm asthma
All people at increased risk of thunderstorm asthma should:
Learn about thunderstorm asthma and what they can do to help protect themselves during grass pollen season.
Where possible, avoid being outside during thunderstorms from October through December – especially in the wind gusts that come before the storm. Go inside and close your doors and windows, and if you have an air conditioner on, that brings outside air inside, turn it to recirculate.
Have an asthma action plan (if advised to by your GP and developed with them) and know
asthma first aid
.
Have reliever medication appropriately available in grass pollen season and be aware of how to use it (ideally with a spacer).
Be alert to and act on the development of asthma symptoms as explained in your asthma action plan if you have one, or if you don’t, use asthma first aid.
Check the epidemic thunderstorm asthma forecast during the grass pollen season at
VicEmergency
External Link
.
In addition to the above bullet list, take the following precautions as relevant.
Protecting yourself if you have asthma
View transcript
Note: The first aid steps in this video refer to the blue/grey reliever puffer. See
other asthma first aid
directions
External Link
if the person uses a different reliever medication.
If you currently have asthma, make sure you have regular reviews with your GP about your asthma to ensure that you have the right
asthma medication, know how to use it properly
and that you have good control of your
asthma
.
It is also important that you have an asthma action plan and that you see your GP to ensure that it includes advice for thunderstorm asthma. Always carry your reliever medication with you – this is your emergency asthma first aid medication.
Protecting yourself if you have symptoms that may be asthma
If you think you have symptoms of asthma it is important you talk to your GP to determine if they are due to asthma.
If you suddenly develop asthma symptoms and you think you are having an asthma attack, follow
asthma first aid
and make sure you follow up with your GP.
Protecting yourself if you have had asthma in the past
Talk with your GP about your risk of thunderstorm asthma and what additional actions would be appropriate for you – particularly the need for asthma preventer medication over the grass pollen season.
Protecting yourself if you have hay fever
If you have hay fever, understand that you are at increased risk of asthma, including during an epidemic thunderstorm asthma event. If you think you have experienced symptoms of asthma with your hay fever, for example wheezing, shortness of breath or coughing, then talk to your GP.
If you have hay fever only, see your GP or pharmacist about a hay fever treatment plan and what you can do to help protect yourself from the risk of thunderstorm asthma. This may include having an asthma reliever puffer appropriately available – these are available from pharmacies without a prescription.
If you develop asthma symptoms, follow the
asthma first aid
and make sure you follow up with your GP.
You can also stay informed about pollen counts and forecasts by visiting the
Melbourne Pollen Count and
Forecast
External Link
website or downloading the app.
Checking the epidemic thunderstorm asthma risk forecast
Epidemic thunderstorm asthma risk forecasts in Victoria are available from 1 October to 31 December (the typical grass pollen season).
Download the Vic Emergency app from
Play
External Link
or the
App
Store
External Link
and set up a ‘watch zone’ for your location to make sure you’re notified of the risk of an epidemic thunderstorm asthma event occurring. You can also visit the
Vic Emergency thunderstorm asthma
webpage
External Link
for updates and information.
Where to get help
Medical assistance
Your
GP (doctor)
Your nearest pharmacy – for medication
National Home Doctor
Service
External Link
Tel. 13 SICK (
13 74 25
) – for after-hours home GP visits (bulk billed)
Need treatment today?
Need treatment today, but it’s not life-threatening and you can’t get a GP appointment, there are services available:
Priority Primary Care Centres
– provide care for conditions that require treatment today but not an emergency response (extended hours)
NURSE-ON-CALL
Tel.
1300 60 60 24
– for expert health information and advice (24 hours, 7 days)
Emergency care
In an emergency, always call triple zero (000)
Emergency department of your nearest hospital
Information about asthma
Asthma Australia
Helpline
External Link
Tel. 1800 ASTHMA (
1800 278 462
)
National Asthma Council
Australia
External Link
Tel.
1800 032 495
Asthma Australia
apps
External Link
- Asthma Australia has developed three apps to assist people with asthma and their carers.
Information about hay fever
ASCIA
External Link
(Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy)
In your language
Epidemic thunderstorm asthma - English
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በነጐድጓድ ዝናብ የሚከሰት አስም - Epidemic thunderstorm asthma - Amharic
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ܣܘܪܝܬ/Sūreṯ - Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Assyrian
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ربوعاصف الرعدية - Epidemic thunderstorm asthma - Arabic
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বাংলা - Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Bengali
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မုန်တိုင်း ပန်းနာရောဂါ - Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Burmese
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风暴性哮喘 Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Chinese (Simplified
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雷暴哮喘 - Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Chinese (Traditional)
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Astma uslijed grmljavinske oluje - Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Croatian
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آسم ناشی از توفان رعد و برق - Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Dari
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Tuaany pɔ̈t de piɔ̈u - Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Dinka
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آسم ناشی از طوفان و رعد و برق Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Farsi
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Καταιγίδα άσθματος - Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Greek
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થડરસ્ટોર્મ અસ્થમા - Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Gujarati
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हिन्दी - Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Hindi
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Asma badai - Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma -Indonesian
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Asma da temporale - Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Italian
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ကညီကျိာ် - Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Karen
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ជំងឺហឺតបងដោយយព្យុះផ្គររន្ទះ - Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Khmer
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تەنگەنەفەسی)ڕەبۆی( پاش بۆرانی بروسکاوی - Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Kurdish Sorani
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Астма при бура - Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Macedonian
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AdhumƐ thuɔ̱ɔ̱l nhial - Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Nuer
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Astma burzowa - Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Polish
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ਥੰਡਰਸਟੋਰਮ ਅਸਥਮਾ - Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Punjabi
419.16 KB
Грозовая астма - Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Russian
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Астма за време непогоде Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Serbian
264.31 KB
සිංහල - Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Sinhalese
248.73 KB
Neefta danabka dabaysha Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Somali
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Asma de las tormentas eléctricas - Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Spanish
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Unos na hika - Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Tagalog
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ஆஸ்துமா - Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma - Tamil
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Fırtına Astımı - Epidemic thunderstorm asthma - Turkish
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اردو - Epidemic thunderstorm asthma - Urdu
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Hen suyễn do giông bão - Epidemic thunderstorm asthma - Vietnamese
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