As part of the days of combating ragweed, the Regional Health Agency (ARS) of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté reminds us of the actions to be taken to push back ragweed.
Ragweed is an invasive annual plant whose pollen causes strong allergic reactions (rhinitis, conjunctivitis, tracheitis with, in 50% of cases, the appearance of asthma or its worsening). “The pollination peak occurs at the end of August or even September,” specifies the ARS of Burgundy-Franche-Comté.
In 2023, the allergic risk of exposure to ragweed pollen was at alert level for five weeks in Nièvre, the most affected department in the region.
Reduce exposure to pollen
“Ambrosia is on the rise. It colonizes all environments and spreads mainly due to human activities: construction sites, movement of earth, materials…”, adds the ARS of Burgundy-Franche-Comté. We therefore mainly find them along roadsides and on agricultural plots.
Pollen allergy sufferers still put to the test in Nièvre
The eight departments of the region have prefectural decrees imposing the measures to be implemented to prevent the appearance of this plant species and the dissemination of seeds (mowing in several strategic passes to limit the development of the plant and prevent the production of seeds) and to combat its proliferation (uprooting of the plants).
Local authorities, individuals and businesses are called upon to report the presence of ragweed so that these control measures can be applied on the ground.
