After an Air Quality Warning went into effect for Kern County, a cold front came through right in time for the first day of autumn. With the cold front came fresh air, which put Kern County in the 'moderate' range on the Air Quality Index scale. While the air quality has improved, those with allergies are seeing minimal to no relief.
Meredith McKenna suffers from severe allergies and asthma, yet she's suffered from lung disease for a long time after spending her childhood living in Los Angeles.
Now, the longtime Kern County resident drinks tea every morning to calm her lungs.
"It didn't used to be this bad," said McKenna about this year's poor air quality.
She tunes into 23ABC each morning to find out where the air quality is forecast for the day.
"I noticed how bad the air was by how badly I'd wake up coughing," said McKenna.
Dr. Patrick Leung, an Allergist said "this has been one of the worst years for allergies for a lot of people."
Dr. Leung said this is due to a multiple factors. He said the combination of an el nino season, along with the increase of pollens, the agriculture (such as shaken almond trees), and this summer's wildfires have all contributed to a rough year for those with allergies.
Dr. Leung advises those who suffer from allergy symptoms to stay indoors on bad air quality days when possible.
He also recommends that people find out exactly what they are allergic to, so a medical professional can give proper instructions on how to relieve symptoms once they flare up.
