Hay fever season in the Netherlands maybe 2 months longer

The hay fever season in the Netherlands may last 2 months longer than usual.

This is caused by the plant Ambrosia (ragweed), one of the causes of the allergy. The plant (common in North America) has become common in Southern Europe, and is causing more and more problems for hay fever patients there.

In 2003 the plant has been discovered in Holland too, and in the past few years the concentration of Ambrosia pollens has increased severely.

According to biologists, the expansion of the Ambrosia plant may be due to the warmer autumn weather in the past years.

The hay fever season in the Netherlands is during spring and summer, but may now extend to September/October.