Prevention of Hay fever

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Itâ€™s very difficult to completely avoid pollen, but you should be able to control hay fever symptoms by taking some sensible precautions. Reducing your exposure to pollen is the best thing you can do to alleviate symptoms, so try to stay indoors when pollen counts are high.

The pollen count is often given with TV, radio, internet, or newspaper weather forecasts. If it is humid or windy, the pollen count is likely to be higher. Generally, the pollen count is highest in the early evening, so try to avoid going outside around this time. You can also try the following:

keep windows and doors shut in the house. If it gets too warm, try drawing the curtains to keep out the sun and keep the temperature down;
avoid cutting grass, playing or walking in grassy areas, and camping;
change your clothes and take a shower after being outdoors to remove the pollen on your body;
wear wrap-around sunglasses to stop pollen getting in your eyes when you are outdoors;
keep car windows closed, and consider buying a pollen filter for the air vents in your car;
keep fresh flowers out of the house, and vacuum and damp dust regularly;
donâ€™t smoke and stop other people from smoking in your house. Smoking â€“ and breathing in other people's smoke â€“ irritates the lining of your nose, eyes, throat and airways, which can make symptoms worse; and
keep furry pets out of the house during the hay fever season. If your pet does come indoors, wash them regularly to remove any pollen from their fur.