Riverina thunderstorm asthma alert system to be less reliable over summer

Charles Sturt University, the Murrumbidgee Local Health District, the Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network and other local groups manage the system, which sends registered asthmatics text messages when there is a high risk of a thunderstorm asthma event.

CSU researcher Bruce Graham climbed onto his roof every day for almost 20 years to conduct the physical pollen counts for the system, but stepped down about two years ago for health reasons.

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The counts are now conducted by laboratory staff at the National Life Sciences Hub at the university's campus in Wagga.

But with these staff members going on leave over the Christmas period there will be no one left to conduct the pollen counts.

Dr Graham said this is an issue because the region is currently experiencing a "very late" season, with high rates of pollen persisting through December and potentially into January.

"We normally finish the pollen counts at the end of November but they've climbed and they're still high so there is that chance there could be events leading into January," Dr Graham said.

"For us to continue the pollen count we'd have to find someone that could do it and then secondly we'd have to pay them to do it and there just is no funding available."

Dr Graham sent a message to the users of the alert system informing them it will not be able to reliably send out predictions of thunderstorm asthma events this summer, despite continuing high pollen levels.

He suggests asthmatics monitor weather conditions through the Bureau of Meteorology website until the alert system once again has detailed local information.

Dr Graham said the groups are currently looking into the potential of swapping to a high-tech, automated system which has just been released, which could potentially analyse images to determine pollen levels.

The system is currently set up to identify fungal and algae levels in vineyards but Dr Graham said it could be trained to recognise pollen.

"But of course that's going to cost a lot more money and there's a period of having to train it as well," he said.

"Potentially the future is bright but there's going to have to be a lot of negotiation and hard work to get that to come to fruition and move with the times."

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