The app allows users to take pictures of ambrosia and report its habitats.
The public-health campaign “Allergic to Allergies” has been launched by the Croatian Society for Allergology and Clinical Immunology. The goal is to ease the problems of citizens who suffer from allergies that are a result of the exposure to the most widespread allergen of all – ambrosia, reports Poslovni.hr on June 18, 2016.
“Allergies affect more than thirty percent of the population, and as many as 25 percent of young people have an allergic disease, which means that only in Croatia more than 1.2 million people suffer from the effects of the exposure to allergens”, explained Asja Stipić Marković, president of the Society. Marinko Artuković, director of the Special Hospital for Pulmonary Diseases, pointed out that ambrosia’s pollen is one of the strongest known allergens. "In more sensitive patients, pollen may cause allergic reactions on the mucosa of the respiratory organs. The classic symptoms are, for example, red eyes, tearing, nasal congestion, sneezing, coughing, shortness of breath, asthma and skin changes".
Due to health consequences of the exposure to ambrosia’s pollen, Croatian Allergology Society has created a mobile app “Allergic”. It has done so in cooperation with JGL company, as part of the “Allergic to Allergies” campaign. The app allows users to take pictures and report ambrosia habitats, and the information will be forwarded to local and regional governments. On both Android and iOS smartphones, the app can be download for free. It is very easy to use – a person can take a photo of an area where ambrosia grows, and the app will include the exact geolocation on the map. Every user who reports ten locations gets a goody bag from the sponsor – the JGL company.
All the photos of the locations overgrown with ambrosia will be visible in the app, and also on an interactive map of Croatia that has been published on the official website of the campaign - www.alergicni.com. In addition, the visitors can find even more interesting and practical information on the website related to allergies, news on the fight against ambrosia, pollen calendar and facts about the products that help in the fight against the annoying symptoms of allergies.
