Soaring Pollen Levels: Health Warning

As springtime comes, so does pollen.

And allergy sufferers everywhere are already saying this is one of the worst allergy seasons ever, with soaring pollen levels causing lots of symptoms across the country.

"It's wicked bad this year," said one allergy specialist doctor.

"We're just overwhelmed with patients right now. We're double- and triple-booked with new patients, trying to work people in because we know how much people are suffering."

Seasonal allergies, also known as hayfever, affects millions of people each spring, but this one is the worst that's been seen in ten years, say experts.

Soaring Pollen Levels: Health Warning
cbsnews

Pollen: It's on your car, in the air and especially in your sinuses. From Florida to Texas to Colorado, 2010 is shaping up to be a monster of an allergy season. The words "pollen" and "allergy" are among the top 10 trending topics on Twitter in several U.S. cities. Everywhere, it seems, is covered in a fine yellow dust that irritates our lives. Experts say it's the worst they've seen in years. And they are suffering a lot. Take 5-year-old Sam Wilson of St. Petersburg. His mom gives him Claritin in the morning, Nasonex and Benadryl at night, and he receives four allergy shots every week. The sidewalks of his hometown are covered in what look like piles of dried, brown worms - but they are mounds of oak tree pollen.

Soaring Pollen Levels: Health Warning