A Wodonga mother who had her first asthma attack in more than 10 years this week is urging people to be aware of allergy season.
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Katie White hadn't depended on Ventolin for several years, but was one of more than 40 people to end up at Albury Hospital in the past month for asthma.
![BAD SEASON: Katie White hadn't depended on Ventolin for years but she was one of more than 40 people to end up at Albury Hospital in the past month for asthma. Picture: ELENOR TEDENBORG BAD SEASON: Katie White hadn't depended on Ventolin for years but she was one of more than 40 people to end up at Albury Hospital in the past month for asthma. Picture: ELENOR TEDENBORG](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/e8uBJxuTc2fGAziDArmhm5/36eda863-4786-4010-a000-a8b4676e6e8a.jpg/r0_73_4679_2964_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Her asthma scare came less than a week after the death of James Shaw, who suffered a severe asthma attack during a storm.
Miss White said she had a chest infection and hay fever when the asthma began on Monday.
“I waited to get into the doctor at 1pm and they put me straight on a nebuliser mask which delivers Ventolin,” she said.
“My condition went backwards and they called an ambulance.
“I can't stress enough how much you need to get on top of it straight away.
“I had forgotten how intense asthma attacks can be and how quickly they come on.”
Miss White said asthma ran in the family and her daughter had also had difficulties this allergy season.
She said the sensible thing to do would have been to go straight to the hospital in the morning when she first had trouble breathing.
The last two weeks of October and first two weeks of November can be the trouble period for allergy sufferers as the pollen count is high.
In the week from October 12, there were six asthma presentations to the Albury emergency department and 16 the week after.
There were 15 cases the following week before the number of cases dropped back to five last week.
Murrumbidgee Local Health District director of public health Tracey Oakman said the numbers were lower than previous years.
“The pollen gets taken up into the storm and the moisture breaks it up into fine particles which can be breathed down into your lungs,” she said.
“You can get up to 30 people a night at emergency when there is a storm.
“The number may be lower this year because more people may have gone to their GPs or are taking preventative medication.”
The Murrumbidgee Public Health Unit issues asthma warnings via its website.
Charles Sturt University in Wagga also has an asthma register website where people can sign up to receive warning notifications.
Albury Wodonga Health respiratory care co-ordinator Maureen Klinberg said asthma sufferers should start prevention early.
“Thunderstorm asthma often affects people who aren't known to have the condition,” she said.
“If you wheeze and sneeze, make sure you take your medication.”
To learn more about asthma first aid, head to asthmaaustralia.org.au.