Specialists called for thunderstorm asthma advance-warning system five years ago

RESPIRATORY specialists in Victoria appealed for an advance-warning system for thunderstorm asthma five years ago, despite claims Melbourne’s deadly weather event was unprecedented.

RESPIRATORY specialists in Victoria appealed for an advance-warning system for thunderstorm asthma five years ago, despite claims Melbourne’s deadly weather event was unprecedented.

Researchers called for more warnings when thunderstorms followed days of high pollen counts in a letter published in the Medical Journal of Australia in 2011. Those conditions matched the weather on November 21 when the pollen count was “extreme”, temperatures topped 35C and northerly winds reached 56kmh.

MORE: WHAT IS THUNDERSTORM ASTHMA?

It comes as Ambulance Victoria data reveals the extent of the sudden impact of “thunderstorm asthma”, which killed eight people and sent 8500 for hospital treatment.

Code one calls for breathing problems in metro Melbourne jumped from five between 5.30-6pm to 26 in the following 30 minutes. At the height of the thunderstorm asthmas crisis, there was a 15-minute period with a triple 0 call every 4.5 seconds.

While Health Minister Jill Hennessy has extensively described the mass asthma outbreak as “unpredictable” and “unprecedented”, the Sunday Herald Sun can reveal that three respiratory specialists warned of the phenomenon five years ago.

Christine McDonald, Michael Sutherland and Megan Howden said the public should be warned about the increased risk of asthma attacks during certain weather conditions. Their letter, titled “Thunderstorm asthma — a timely reminder”, was published a year after thunderstorm asthma triggered a spike in emergency department attendances.

“Additional warnings of ­elevated risk of asthma exacerbations in pollen-allergic individuals should be made when springtime and summertime thunderstorms follow several days of high or extreme pollen counts,” the letter said.

The Thunderstorm asthma front viewed from the Eureka Skydeck. Picture: Norm Oorloff

Dr Sutherland, a physician and allergist at Epworth Hospital, said warning signs could be detected in advance.

“I think it’s predictable that there’s a risk,” he said.

“It’s unpredictable that it’ll be a catastrophic event because thunderstorms happen reasonably frequently. But certainly (thunderstorm asthma events) appear to happen in November mostly, and in association with pollen and thunderstorms with rain.”

Ms Hennessy said the review by the Inspector-General of Emergency Management would examine the state’s response and whether services and the community could have been better prepared.

The Opposition’s David Davis, who was health minister after the last thunderstorm asthma event in 2010, said he was not aware of work by the Health Department to develop early warning procedures or alerts during his tenure.

“My criticism would be that unpredictable things occur and the department, chief health officer and minister ought to give warnings quickly. And they didn’t,” Mr Davis said.

Health services are on heightened alert with thunderstorms predicted today and tomorrow. Authorities played down the risk of another “thunderstorm asthma” event but remain “precautionary”.

Dr Sutherland said he regretted not recommending an early-warning system directly to the government, in light of the recent deaths.

He said although it was “easy to be wise afterwards”, authorities could “do better”.

“I would have liked to have sent it off to the government, perhaps, but you sort of assume that they would read the medical journals of Australia and that sort of thing,” he said.

“I think in retrospect, everyone would have liked to have done better, including myself.”

Respiratory physician and chair of the National Asthma Council Australia, Dr Jonathan Burdon, said people who wheeze and sneeze with hay fever were most likely to be affected by this mix of pollen and storms, even if they did not have pre-existing asthma.

“If you haven’t previously had a diagnosis of asthma and are experiencing regular symptoms, book in to have a review with your doctor,” he said.

“You may benefit from preventer medication and having an (emergency) action plan.”

The Department of Health and Human Services is working with asthma experts, the Bureau of Meteorology and the EPA on this issue while a statewide review was underway.

————————————————————————————————————————

PARAMEDIC Cat Cristofaro was confronted by screams of “she’s dead” as she helped a young girl suffering an asthma attack.

The 12-year-old girl was “moments away” from cardiac arrest, her pulse barely detectable. It was the first clue for Ms Cristofaro (pictured above) that an unprecedented medical emergency was unfolding.

Ambulance Paramedic Cat Cristofaro. Picture Yuri Kouzmin

The second came when she wanted to call intensive care backup but “couldn’t get a word” in on the radio.

The third — confirming November 21 would be an “exceptional shift” — was when they arrived, with the girl, at Sunshine Hospital.

Doctors were resuscitating a patient in one emergency room cubicle, while another was having a breathing tube inserted next door.

In cubicle three, another patient had been incubated.

“We were walking around thinking, ‘what has happened?’,” Ms Cristofaro said.

“The flow of patients — and critically ill patients — was relentless.

“We were listening to our dispatch radio and it was job after job of really sick people on the verge of dying.”

Ms Cristofaro and her partner responded to seven respiratory-related calls for help across a frantic 15½-hour shift.

They took a woman to Sunbury Hospital in their last call at 2.45am, where they stayed for 4½ hours.

@moniquehore