An asthma alert has been issued as thunderstorms roll in across the region.
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Murrumbidgee Local Health District has urged asthma sufferers and people with breathing problems to take extra precautions during the current weather conditions.
The warning came at the same time as Wagga experienced one of its heaviest storms for the year.
In the 10 minutes before 4:20pm, 1.4mm of rain fell in central Wagga, which was also hit by a brief hailstorm.
“Where possible avoid being outside during thunderstorms. Parents should be vigilant to keep their children inside during storms, with the doors and windows closed,” said director of public health Tracey Oakman.
“Anyone with diagnosed asthma should carry their asthma medication with them at all times during this high risk thunderstorm period.”
First aid steps to remember are:
- • sit the person upright;
- • give four separate puffs from their reliever puffer;
- • wait four minutes and if there’s no improvement, give four more puffs; and
- • if there’s still no improvement, dial 000.
Breathing difficulties can be life threatening. In the event of an asthma emergency dial triple zero (000) immediately.
Thunderstorms cause pollen grains to explode and release fine particles which can be inhaled deeply into the lungs, causing even more people to wheeze and sneeze.
Additionally, the damaging winds forecast can cause additional dust particles to be in the air and if inhaled can trigger breathing problems.
