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Along with cherry blossoms and the budding spring comes... Achoo!

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If you have allergies, you already know that something is in the air. Tree pollen is expected to be moderate to high now through the first week of April 2024.

Doctors say allergy season has become a bit of a moving target these days, and research shows the culprit is climate change.

“Since 1990, the statistic is that the allergy season has increased by about 20 days,” said Dr. Mollie Grow, a pediatrician with Seattle Children’s Hospital and UW Medicine Seattle.

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Seasonal allergy symptoms can include congestion and a runny nose, along with itchy eyes and an irritation in the throat, Grow said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in four adults have seasonal allergies, as do approximately one in five children.

Grow advises people to take off their shoes when they come indoors after being outside, and taking a shower “to help wash off the pollen that may be in their hair or clothing, helping prevent that getting into the bedding or in and around the house.”

Tree pollen is expected to be moderate to high through early next week. The top allergens over the next five days are ash, birch, and juniper trees.

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