What you need to know about 'Thunderstorm Asthma'

Residents in New South Wales and Victoria were issued new warnings of ‘thunderstorm asthma’ events today ahead of storms predicted to hit both states later in the day. The National Asthma Council Australia warned people with asthma and hay fever to be on high alert for any symptoms and to have their asthma action plans ready as a precaution. “As we have seen with the recent events in Melbourne any serious asthma attack can be life-threatening and have tragic consequences,” said council chair Dr Jonathan Burdon AM. Last week, a New Zealand father-of-four, Sam Lau, became the eighth victim of the severe ‘thunderstorm asthma’ event that struck Melbourne two weeks ago. This rare and extreme event triggered over 1900 calls to Ambulance Victoria and caused hospital emergency rooms across the city to be overwhelmed by around 8500 patients suffering from asthma-related symptoms. “Act quickly if you start to have symptoms such as shortness of breath or wheezing,” Burdon said. “The best way to treat thunderstorm asthma is to avoid it happening by making sure your asthma is under control and following your written asthma action plan."

Lightning strikes the city of Melbourne. (Getty Images/iStockphoto) Source: iStockphoto