It’s sniffle season. Along with rising COVID, flu and RSV cases, it’s also peak time for cedar fever in Texas.
What’s happening: While winter is not widely associated with allergy season, cedar trees begin releasing their pollen in December, peaking in mid-January and tapering off at the end of February or early March.
- Central Texas is really feeling the effects since it’s packed with Ashe juniper, but Houston and Dallas have eastern red cedar, which is also releasing pollen right now, the Texas A&M Forest Service’s Jonathan Motsinger tells Axios.
The symptoms — sore throat, runny nose, itchy eyes, headaches and fatigue — can often be confused with cold or flu symptoms, and it’s hard to differentiate, Motsinger says.
- Although it’s called cedar fever, people generally don’t experience a high fever.
The intrigue: Even if you aren’t generally affected by pollen, cedar fever can still affect you simply because of how densely populated cedar trees are, particularly in the Hill Country.
Yes, but: Motsinger urges people not to cut down their cedar trees, especially since the airborne nature of cedar pollen means that even without a cedar tree within a mile, people can still be susceptible.
What they’re saying: “These trees kind of get a bad rap, but it’s just part of their natural process. We do still get a lot of ecosystem benefits from trees where they provide shade and filter rainfall and help prevent erosion and things like that,” Motsinger says.
- “I really would hate for people to go out and start cutting down all their [cedar] trees just because of the misery of a couple of months of allergies, because they do provide a lot of services that we really need.”
Here are some recommendations from Motsinger for cedar fever season:
- Check the pollen count in your area and wear a face mask as needed.
- Replace your car and air conditioner filters.
- Clean dust and pollen in your house.
- Take daily allergy medicine if you’re sensitive.
- Of note: Rain helps clear the air and reduce the pollen impact. Luckily, it’s supposed to rain today and Monday in Houston.
