Preparing for Thunderstorm Asthma
Last November in Victoria, an unprecedented number of people presented to hospitals and medical centres suffering from acute respiratory distress after a weather phenomenon sparked a thunderstorm asthma event larger than Australia had ever seen. Eight people died and emergency services where overwhelmed with calls for help.
It affected all types of people, those with diagnosed but poorly managed asthma, undiagnosed asthma, seasonal hayfever and/or allergies to grass pollens were the worst affected.
