Pollen season hits Mississippi

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Following below freezing temperatures for much of the winter season in Mississippi, doctors didn’t expect allergy season to begin this early.

Now that it’s here, medical clinics and urgent care centers are filling up with patients, most of whom are struggling with an allergy induced respiratory infection, and the primary suspect every year: pollen.

Jim Haltom with the Mississippi Asthma and Allergy Clinic says without proper care, the issue can grow worse.

“Uncontrolled asthma can be quite dangerous. But with today’s modern therapies, we’ve got really good treatment for most asthma patients,” he said.

He says allergy treatments are normally safe and effective, and that if you’re sick, don’t hesitate to see your doctor.

“They may have a bump in the road may feel bad a little bit, but we can usually get them corrected and back where they need to be pretty, pretty quickly,” Haltom said.

On top of being sick, allergy induced illnesses can lead to bigger issues in your day-to-day life if not attended to.

“Asthma and allergies cause lots of school absence, lots of work absence, lots of emergency room visits, lots of urgent care visits. And so it can be debilitating and costly. And so we just urge folks to seek care because we’ve got good therapies,” Haltom explained.

Waiting to see a doctor can lead to bigger medical bills.

“Seeking proper care will decrease your out of pocket costs and insurance costs because if you’re controlling the illness rather than responding to it, you’re going to have a lot better outcome,” Haltom said.

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