Hay fever allergen

Panama has neither goldenrod
nor ragweed. However...

Just moved here from North America and the hay fever allergens you knew, and now your eyes are itching and your nose is running and you don't know why?

Well, of course we do have mold spores for those who were sensitive to those up there, and right now we are approching the wettest part of our rainy season so it's also getting to be the height of our mold spore season.

But one very common irritant is the pollen from the paja canalera (canal grass, sometimes called elephant grass although there are those who argue that this latter usage is a misnomer). It's a species of grass that the Americans imported from Vietnam in the 1950s to shore up the banks of the Panama Canal's Culebra Cut, and which promptly became a major invasive weed and agricultural pest.

And to some of us with allergies, it's a source of our hay fever miseries.

Photo by Eric Jackson

Also in this section:
WHO: Change ailing health care systems
Hay fever allergen
Sustainable sushi
Little beachcomber
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