For one in three Swedes, beautiful spring weather can be tough. Just over three million Swedes are allergic to pollen, and for 300,000 of them the symptoms are so troublesome that they can only disappear with allergy vaccination. That is according to the Asthma and Allergy Association.
Although the pollen vaccine is many people’s only option, the treatment is not a matter of course. Depending on where you live in the country, it is different how easy it is to get it.
– We see that the need for allergy vaccination is equally high throughout the country. It is the access that is unequal, says Karin Neuhaus, secretary general of the Asthma and Allergy Association.
Pollen allergy sufferers in Norrbotten draw the biggest nit lottery, where only 7 out of 10,000 residents received a pollen vaccine last year. In Halland, 7 times as many per capita received the vaccine in 2023.
“I should have received treatment 10 years ago”
Malmö resident Madeleine Horvath has fought to get treatment for her pollen allergy since she was a child. She first sought help when she was 7 years old, but it would be a long time before she received her first dose of allergy shots.
– I have not been taken seriously because health professionals have thought that my pollen allergy is like everyone else’s. They recommended tablets and an inhaler. It was only when they took a blood test on me when I was 23 that they realized I’m fatally allergic, she says and continues:
– I don’t think it’s okay that it took so long. I should have received treatment at least 10 years ago.
No requirements for regions
Vaccination against pollen takes several years to complete and requires many visits to specialist doctors. According to the Asthma and Allergy Association, the large differences in care are due to a lack of resources and expertise in some regions.
And the consequences of that will be many, says Karin Neuhaus. One of them is “sickness attendance”.
– Many people go to work despite having major problems with their pollen allergy. Then it is clear that it is difficult to be productive at work or to cope as much at school. Then, of course, there are many who stay at home and are on sick leave, she says.
Madeleine Horvath recognizes herself in the description from when she worked in an ice cream kiosk during the summer before her vaccination.
– I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t see the customers because my eyes were completely swollen shut. It was because we had to have the windows open. It got so bad that I couldn’t go out.
Today, there are no requirements for regions to have allergists or offer allergy vaccinations. But next year, a national strategy for allergy care may be introduced.
– We want to see greater clarity in allergy care in general. With national guidelines, we hope for greater clarity in all regions, says Karin Neuhaus.