Holiday Stress For Allergy Sufferers

Main Category: Allergy
Also Included In: Respiratory / Asthma
Article Date: 26 Jul 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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Holidays (*vacations) are the time of the year that we all look forward to, yet for people suffering from allergy it is a time of even greater stress.

Thanks to an educational grant from Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited, Allergy UK was able to survey 3,000 people, asking whether they allowed their allergies to influence their choice in holidays. Within two weeks 10%1 had responded 75% of whom stated that their choice of holiday was definitely influenced by their allergies.[i]

The findings were generally summed up in the statement of one respondent:

"Going out for a day in this country requires precision planning so a holiday abroad is nigh on impossible."

Over 80% of people answering the survey said that they suffered from allergic rhinitis (hayfever)1 and asthma. However 40% were unaware that allergic rhinitis can make asthma symptoms worse.1 As pollen is one of the major triggers for allergic rhinitis, the need for a European Holiday Destination Pollen Calendar quickly became obvious. Allergy UK has therefore worked in collaboration with Professor Jean Emberlin, Director of the National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Unit at Worcester University to develop this Calendar. The Calendar and the Holiday report are launched and are available on the Allergy UK website: http://www.allergyuk.org/news_holiday_campaign.aspx.

Professor Emberlin highlighted the importance of this service saying: "It's important for people with hayfever to check pollen levels before booking their holiday. The calendar will also be a useful tool for tourist operators, to help them advise people with severe hayfever about destinations with high pollen count so that they can take the necessary precautions."

Following from the survey Allergy UK has pledged to raise awareness of the issues raised in the survey including:-

-- Negotiating with specialist travel insurance companies to gain better premiums for allergy sufferers as premiums are often higher.
-- Develop a European and possibly global network of allergy friendly accommodation suitable for all sufferers.
-- Set up a forum for sufferers to exchange views and recommendations on accommodation and restaurants.
-- Publicise the Allergy UK translation card service more widely.

[i] Stolen Lives 4 - Allergies and Asthma Report: The Impact of allergies and asthma on people's holidays. Survey of patients with allergies and asthma; Allergy UK. July 2007

* N.B. In the UK the word 'holiday' means any vacation. In the USA the word 'holiday' refers to religious vacations, such as Christmas and Easter. In this article, the British meaning is used. Therefore, American readers should understand that here, the word 'holiday' means 'vacations'.

http://www.allergyuk.org