Australia is bracing for a potentially severe hay fever season this spring, with health experts warning pollen levels could be higher than average and arrive earlier than usual due to an approaching "super" El Niño. Around six million Australians, or one in four, now suffer from hay fever (also known as allergic rhinitis), a sharp rise from 15 per cent in 2008, making preparation and awareness particularly important this year.

While antihistamines and nasal sprays remain the go-to remedies, some sufferers are turning to immunotherapy, a longer-term treatment costing up to $150 a month that gradually desensitises the immune system over three to five years, with over half of patients reporting significant improvement. Those with grass pollen allergies also face heightened risk of thunderstorm asthma, a rare but dangerous phenomenon that struck Melbourne in 2016, causing 8,500 hospitalisations and ten deaths; experts are urging early preventative action to reduce pressure on ambulance and hospital services this spring.