MADRID
FOR some in the Balearics, the onset of Autumn brings the first symptoms of mite allergy, with the Spanish Society for Immunology reporting yesterday that the damp, humid conditions we are experiencing at the moment are ideal for these organisms to flourish in the atmosphere.
Tomas Chivato, the Society president, said yesterday that the symptoms of this allergy such as nasal congestion, sneezing, asthma and reddening of the skin appear more frequently in Autumn than they do in Spring and Summer.
Doctor Ignacio Jauregui of the Allergy department at Basurto hospital in Bilbao said yesterday that recent studies have revealed that around 22 percent of the population nationwide are prone to allergies and that of these, one in four falls prey to the variety caused by the mite - about 5.1 percent.
The mite thrives best in temperatures ranging from 20 to 25 degrees with a 75 percent humidity. Below 65 percent, there is no major mite population development and below 45 percent, the mites disappear altogether.