People around DeKalb may find themselves blessing others more this fall.

Dr. Peter Baum, board certified allergist at the DeKalb Clinic, said this allergy season is bad for people with different kinds of allergies.

“This year is probably one of the worst years we have had recently for pollen and mold counts due to all the rain we had earlier in the summer then our relative drought in the last weeks,” Baum said. “Right now we’re in the middle of ragweed season which starts on or around Aug. 15 every year.”

Jeff Ramirez, owner of AAA Inspections and Services, 327 W. DeKalb Drive, Maple Park, said the counts for some allergens are off the charts. AAA does air sampling around DeKalb.

“Due to the long, dry summer we’ve had and the extended growing season with all the plants, we’re going to have greater than normal pollen and mold,” Ramirez said.

Ramirez said the elevated levels are giving people in the DeKalb area a lot of health problems. In addition to allergies, “the mold is causing a lot of problems for people with asthma,” he said.

Baum said even if you don’t have asthma, you may be at risk.

“For people who are predisposed to it, [high mold counts] can affect their asthma or people who have never had asthma can develop it suddenly when we have these high mold counts.”

Carol Sibley, coordinator of Preventative Medicine for Health Services, said students on campus who have allergies know this season is a bad one.

“A lot of things they are allergic to are circulating in the air right now. Our students are great barometers of what is going on outside,” Sibley said.

Sibley said there are many factors that can contribute to the severity of allergies in the area. She said the wind can factor into the amount of allergens in the air. Not only are we getting pollen from this area, but the wind is transporting more pollen here from other areas, she said.

Sibley said ragweed levels are high right now because it grows well with the corn in the area. She also said some people may have allergy problems when the corn pollinates.

There are many ways to prevent and treat allergy problems, Sibley said.

Sibley said there are a lot of things one can try to combat allergies.

“We don’t have an allergist on staff, but we have all of our health services professionals on staff to help students,” she added.

Baum said one of the best things to do when you have bad allergies is to just stay inside.

“Those who are allergic should stay in the air conditioning, which will help filter out some of those allergens that are in the house,” Baum said.