The number of hay fever sufferers searching for NHS advice has more than doubled in the past week as temperatures rise across England.
The NHS website has received an average of 11,736 visits a day since Monday compared to a daily average of 4,749 visits at the weekend – an increase of 147%.
Visits to the hay fever page peaked yesterday (Thursday) with 14,978 visits – equivalent to one visit every six seconds.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS National Medical Director, said:
“Most people will be pleased to see summer finally arrive, but it also seems to have led to an increase in pollen levels and discomfort for hay fever sufferers.
“Hay fever symptoms can usually be managed at home or with medication widely available in community pharmacies or supermarkets.
“And I would also encourage people to use the NHS website page which offers helpful advice and tips on how best to manage hay fever and ease symptoms over the coming months.”
There is currently no cure for hay fever, which usually hits between late March and September when the weather is warm, windy, and humid, and the pollen count is at its highest.
The symptoms include sneezing, coughing, a runny or blocked nose, as well as red, itchy, or watery eyes. Sufferers can also experience headaches, earache or lose their sense of smell.
The NHS hay fever page details several ways people can ease their symptoms including staying indoors, keeping their windows shut, not cutting their grass or coating their nostrils with Vaseline to trap the pollen.
The page also offers advice on different treatments available from pharmacists and recommends when people should seek help from their GP.
The NHS website is the UK’s biggest health website with an estimated 2.1 million visits a day in 2023 from people seeking information and advice.
It includes over 4,000 pages and provides information about 990 medical conditions as well other health services including applying for a free UK Global Health Insurance Card for healthcare cover abroad, finding a GP, and a pregnancy due date calculator.
For more information visit nhs.uk/conditions/hay-fever
