Amid Covid-19 spread care, pollen from Russian poplars a new worry in Kashmir

Srinagar: Amid the global scare of novel coronavirus, people across Kashmir fear that the Russian poplar trees may prove disaster for them and may help Covid-19 spread more as thick cover of pollen produced by poplars engulf majority of Srinagar and other parts of valley. The health expert, say that April-May is the season when seasonal allergies are at its peak as flowers and trees show full growth while poplars produce thick cover of pollen in the air, but there is no concrete evidence or a study whether pollen would help Caronavirus spread more.
Medical experts claim the spring season is allergy prone while in this pandemic scenario, but it would difficult to judge whether the fever and Covid-19 symptoms would aggregative due to pollen.
Russian poplar trees spring shed a cotton-like material carrying seeds which flies in air causing several allergies including respiratory disorders like asthma, bronchitis and infections of throat, chest irritation and frequent sneezing etc.
An unpublished study from Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar, reveals that pollen is the commonest and among the pollen it’s the grass pollen with 90 per cent of impact. “70 per cent is a tree locally known as ‘KIKER’, 60 per cent is type of grass regionally known as ‘SUEI’ and there is just 18 per cent of allergic impact due to pollen from poplar trees and it’s not that white cotton causes allergy, it goes unseen, it’s a seed in that cotton which usually keeps it invisible is responsible for triggering the allergies,” the study reads.
Dr. Nisar Ul Hassan, the only flu expert in J&K, ruled out the chances of pollen causing maximum harm to people. “Whenever the spring comes, the allergy is at the door. Spring is the key time for allergies but the most common allergy is pollen, among the pollens 90 per cent is due to grass pollen,” he said.
He said that the commonest irritant still is the dust. “Cutting down the trees doesn’t take away the allergy, one third of the population in Kashmir is suffering from allergies including, cough, sneezing, chest or skin eruption. “There are lot of allergies prevailing in environment including some people being allergic to food, peanut allergies, unknown environmental things, drugs, cloths even man made things can cause allergy and we can’t take away all the things a time,” he said.
He also said fever will be absent in patients with allergy whereas it will be present in COVID-19 patient while other symptoms like coughing sneezing and running nose can have similar symptoms there is no doubt, making it difficult for doctor at times to differentiate between various types of allergies.
“At times it is difficult if people are not able to differentiate between allergy or other viral things here, doctor is the ultimate person to see whether these symptoms are compactable with allergy or with Covid 19”