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Melbourne 'thunderstorm asthma' kills two | |
(35 minutes later) | |
Two people have died in Melbourne, Australia, from a rare phenomenon known as "thunderstorm asthma", after a storm hit the city late on Monday local time. | |
Paramedics and hospitals were stretched to their limits as thousands phoned to report breathing problems. | |
The trigger was an extreme level of rye grass pollen in the air, whipped up by strong winds. | The trigger was an extreme level of rye grass pollen in the air, whipped up by strong winds. |
Ambulance Victoria took more than 1,870 calls between 18:00 (07:00 GMT) and 23:00 on Monday. | |
The figure is more than six times the daily average, and at least 30 people are in intensive care. | |
'Extraordinarily busy' | |
The massive call volume affected waiting times and forced 60 reserve ambulances, police and fire-fighters to respond to medical emergencies. | |
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"It was extraordinarily busy, it was unprecedented," said Mick Stephenson, Ambulance Victoria's executive director of emergency operations. | |
He said about 200 calls were directly linked to asthma, but 600 more reported respiratory issues. | He said about 200 calls were directly linked to asthma, but 600 more reported respiratory issues. |
"What we do know is that a lot of people who called last night had never had asthma before, so this was their first experience," he said. | "What we do know is that a lot of people who called last night had never had asthma before, so this was their first experience," he said. |
One of those killed by the freak weather event was named by her family as 20-year-old Hope Carnevali. | |
Local media said the young woman had suffered a horrific asthma attack, and lay on her lawn for more than 30 minutes waiting for an ambulance to arrive, while her family desperately performed CPR. | |
Eighteen-year-old Omar Moujalled, a high school student from Greenvale, died at a doctor's surgery before he could reach hospital. | |
A spokesman for Ambulance Victoria said: "Our thoughts are with the families of those patients. We will carry out a full clinical review into these cases." | |
Victorian Health Minister Jill Hennessy said the challenging conditions had forced private hospitals to open to the public. | |
"No doubt there will be lessons to learn... but every part of our emergency management surge occurred correctly," she said. | "No doubt there will be lessons to learn... but every part of our emergency management surge occurred correctly," she said. |
What is 'thunderstorm asthma'? | What is 'thunderstorm asthma'? |
Melbourne's thunderstorm asthma event was caused by very high levels of rye grass pollen. | Melbourne's thunderstorm asthma event was caused by very high levels of rye grass pollen. |
About one in 10 people have asthma in Australia, with about 80% of those sufferers experiencing allergies, particularly to rye pollen. | About one in 10 people have asthma in Australia, with about 80% of those sufferers experiencing allergies, particularly to rye pollen. |
When saturated in rain, the pollen breaks down into smaller particles which become easier to inhale and trigger an asthma attack. | When saturated in rain, the pollen breaks down into smaller particles which become easier to inhale and trigger an asthma attack. |
"A person who has an allergic response to that particular pollen, because it's so small, it will get into the lungs," Asthma Victoria chief Robin Ould told the BBC. | "A person who has an allergic response to that particular pollen, because it's so small, it will get into the lungs," Asthma Victoria chief Robin Ould told the BBC. |
He said Monday's rye particle count of 102 was more than double what would be considered high on a normal day. | He said Monday's rye particle count of 102 was more than double what would be considered high on a normal day. |
Melbourne's current spring season has been particularly wet, creating havoc for asthma and hay fever sufferers. | Melbourne's current spring season has been particularly wet, creating havoc for asthma and hay fever sufferers. |
"It's quite rare and we've seen two incidents of this kind this century in Melbourne," Mr Ould said. | "It's quite rare and we've seen two incidents of this kind this century in Melbourne," Mr Ould said. |
"It's the south-east corner of Australia that has this high humidity, high thunderstorm activity at this time of the year." | "It's the south-east corner of Australia that has this high humidity, high thunderstorm activity at this time of the year." |
But he said the scale of Monday's emergency could not have been predicted. | But he said the scale of Monday's emergency could not have been predicted. |
"The key message of this event is that, if you have asthma, you should be using your preventative medication as described," he said. | |
Reporting by the BBC's Jay Savage. | Reporting by the BBC's Jay Savage. |
Are you in Melbourne? Did you suffer from 'thunderstorm asthma'? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your experiences. | Are you in Melbourne? Did you suffer from 'thunderstorm asthma'? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your experiences. |
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: | Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: |
Or use the form below | Or use the form below |