Scranton Dubbed Allergy Capital Of The United States

By Jackson Feiner | Staff Writer

SCRANTON – Spring is in the air. It’s getting warmer, the days are getting longer, the flowers are coming in and the leaves are returning to the trees. For those of us with seasonal allergies, this can be the worst time of the year.

To make matters worse, Scranton has been ranked the 2022 allergy capital of the United States by a report from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA).

According to the report, they looked at four important factors: Spring pollen scores, Fall pollen scores, over-the-counter medicine use and availability of board-certified allergists/immunologists.

Scranton was chosen as the 2022 allergy capital due to its higher than average Spring pollen, Fall pollen and fewer board-certified allergists/immunologists. This data was studied from the 100 most populated U.S. metropolitan areas.

To put things in a quantitative perspective, the average “score” given out by the AAFA to the 100 cities is 62.07. Scranton was given a 100. The city ranking second is Wichita, Kansas with a score of 92.60. The city ranked 100th, the best city for people with allergies, is Seattle, Washington.

To reduce contact with pollen the AAFA recommends checking pollen counts or forecasts daily, plan outdoor activities on days when pollen counts are expected to be lower, keep windows closed during pollen season or peak pollen times, wear sunglasses, a mask, and a hat or other hair covering when outdoors, and change and wash clothes after outdoor activities. The full list can be accessed through aafa.org

For allergy treatments, the AAFA recommends nasal corticosteroid sprays, non-drowsy allergy medicines, decongestants, leukotriene modifiers and immunotherapy (allergy shots or tablets).

So, stock up on tissues and allergy medication, we have a sniffly and itchy allergy season ahead of us.