MANILA, Philippines—Pabalik-balik na bahing o kati? Baka allergy na yan!

Different people are triggered by different kinds of allergens, which are substances that cause an allergic reaction in the body. Some allergic symptoms are triggered by food, dust, or bodily contact to certain materials.

Similarly, allergic reactions to these allergens also manifest differently for different people. Runny nose, sneezing, redness, itching, and inflammation are the most common signs of an allergic attack. For some, it may be one or two of these symptoms, while others experience a combination of them.

What distinguishes an allergy from other conditions that have similar symptoms is its tendency to recur at a specific time of the day, when one enters an environment where the allergen is present, or upon ingesting a certain food or drink that contains the allergen. It is due to this complex nature of allergies that it becomes difficult for one to diagnose allergies correctly by himself/herself without a doctor.

However, as allergies are becoming a more common phenomenon, Allerta is creating avenues to educate Filipinos about allergies and its symptoms, which tend to be confused with other common ailments such as colds and cough.

This is done through the Allerta Allergy Test Hubs conducted in public places and its Facebook page Allergy Central.

The latter aims to be a knowledge space for Filipinos to learn anything and everything about allergies and how they can be addressed. Do check out the Office Invaders video on YouTube, featuring the comedic online celebrity Boris, for a thoroughly entertaining but very educational low down on allergies. Visit www.facebook.com/allergycentral to know more about allergy in more fun and memorable ways.

Now that you know what allergies are, it is now time to stop it from bothering your daily life. Basta allergy, mag-ALLERTA, ALLERTA, ALLERTA! Advt.