Given the mild temperatures, hazel and alder pollen is already in the air in some regions of Bavaria. According to the Ministry of Health, allergy sufferers can use an app from the State Office of Public Health (LGL) to find out about the status of the pollen season.
The app called Electronic Pollen Information Network (ePIN) has been accessing data from eight electronic pollen count measuring stations since 2019 and is therefore updated every three hours. The measuring points are located in Altötting, Feucht, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Marktheidenfeld, Hof, Mindelheim, Munich and Viechtach and are intended to cover pollen levels as representatively as possible throughout Bavaria. “The app can also be used to display several types of pollen on the smartphone at the same time. This means those affected can better adapt to the current situation and plan their daily routine,” said Minister Judith Gerlach (CSU) on Friday.
According to estimates, around 3.5 million people between the ages of 18 and 79 in Bavaria are currently affected by allergies, the minister continued. Of them, around 1.4 million suffered from hay fever. LGL head of office Caroline Herr explained: “So that people with pollen allergies can monitor their symptoms even better, a personal diary area will be available to users in the ePIN apps and on the website over the course of 2024.” The pollen diary is intended to supplement the information about the current pollen count. These can also be requested online at: www.epin.bayern.de as well as www.pollenflug.bayern.de.