{"id":270859,"date":"2026-08-23T20:34:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-23T20:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/270859\/"},"modified":"2026-08-23T20:34:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-23T20:34:12","slug":"ragweed-allergy-season-is-getting-longer-in-greater-philadelphia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/270859\/","title":{"rendered":"Ragweed allergy season is getting longer in Greater Philadelphia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Millions of people across the region face a longer, more intense ragweed allergy season this year as hotter summer and fall temperatures fuel more pollen production, a Philadelphia allergist warns.<\/p>\n

Throughout August and September, ragweed plants native to Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware release billions of lightweight pollen particles carried by the wind. For people with a ragweed allergy, that means weeks of itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, congestion, headaches and fatigue. Allergy experts say those symptoms will stretch further into the fall this year, and in coming years, as climate change drives higher temperatures and increased humidity.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore people are being affected as a result, and there\u2019s a greater severity of symptoms,\u201d said Dr. Manav Segal, allergist, immunologist and owner at Chestnut Hill Allergy & Asthma Associates<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A prolific pollinator hiding in plain sight<\/p>\n

Ragweed is a green, weedy plant commonly found along riverbeds and highways, on playgrounds, in backyard gardens and throughout vacant lots. Some species have fernlike or palmlike leaves and can grow as tall as 6 feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the issues with ragweed is it\u2019s a prolific pollinator,\u201d Segal said. \u201cAnd the pollen that we\u2019re affected by, it\u2019s lightweight, it\u2019s invisible, it\u2019s carried by the wind and it can travel miles and miles. So, the pollen you\u2019re affected by, you may not see plants immediately around you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most people develop a ragweed allergy after repeated exposure to its pollen. Over time, the immune system begins treating the allergen as an unsafe substance that needs to be fought off, like an infection. That overreaction causes allergy symptoms and can create serious complications for people managing chronic conditions like asthma.<\/p>\n

\u201cAsthma patients could have increased coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath,\u201d Segal said. \u201cSo, fall can be a time when people\u2019s asthma becomes poorly controlled.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hidden costs for families and workers<\/p>\n

While some children and adults experience mild symptoms, others face reactions severe enough to disrupt daily life.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can account for a lot of missed work, missed school for kids, medication expenses,\u201d Segal said. \u201cThese are some of the hidden costs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Midday is the worst time to be outside<\/p>\n

Ragweed pollen counts tend to peak around midday, so avoiding outdoor activities and exercise during those hours can help. People who need to be outside can wear sunglasses to block pollen from direct contact with their eyes, and masks can reduce the amount inhaled.<\/p>\n

Over-the-counter nondrowsy antihistamines and steroid nasal sprays are effective for many people, Segal said. These are the same medications and brands used for tree and grass allergies in the spring.<\/p>\n

For people who don\u2019t get relief from those options, longer-term treatments like allergen immunotherapy may help reduce the body\u2019s sensitivity to ragweed and other allergens over time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t take immediate effect, but they can, over time, make people less allergic, less symptomatic, reduce medication demands,\u201d Segal said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Millions of people across the region face a longer, more intense ragweed allergy season this year as hotter…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":270860,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[69,71,70],"class_list":["post-270859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-headlines","tag-philadelphia-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=270859"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270859\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/270860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=270859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=270859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=270859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}