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By Lenny Bernstein The Washington Post. My col lea g ue Brady Dennis reported recently that the arrival of warmer weather will soon unleash a pollen tsunami in parts of the country where the win - ter has been especially long and cold. Here are some survival tips from Clifford W. Bassett, an allergy spe - cialist and assistant clinical professor of medicine at the New York University School of Medicine. • Wear oversized sun - glasses to block airborne pollens and molds. • Wear a hat, preferably one with a wide brim. • Avoid outdoor line dry - ing of clothing and bed linens on a high pollen day. • Consider exercising in- doors on very high pollen days. Pollen levels may peak during the mid-day and af - ternoon, and are generally higher on warm, dry, windy days. • Get confirmation that you have seasonal allergies, with simple in-office tests. • Begin treatment with medications such as nasal antihistamines, oral anti - histamines, steroids and eye drops even before symptoms start. • Talk to your doctor about allergy shots, which can slow the progress of al - lergic disease. • Shower and sham- poo nightly to rinse pollens from skin and hair. Change clothes before entering your bedrooms to keep pollens out. • At home and in the car, keep the windows closed and set your air conditioner to " re ci rc ul at e. " Cl ea n fil te rs in room air conditioners fre - quently. Do not use fans that suck outdoor pollens into your living area. • Eliminate weeds from your yard and plant allergy- friendly greenery such as azaleas and begonias, palm, pine, fir and dogwood trees; hibiscus, boxwood and yucca shrubs. outside 10 tips to help you survive a severe allergy season By John Flesher The Associated Press TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — A fungal disease that has killed millions of North American bats is spreading and now has been detected in half of the United States, officials said Thursday. Wildlife agencies in Mich - igan and Wisconsin said they had confirmed diagno- ses of white-nose syndrome in tested bats, further evi- dence of the ailment's rapid expansion since it first was documented in a cave near Albany, N.Y., in 2006. Cases have turned up in most states east of the Mis - sissippi River, with Georgia and Alabama joining the list in March, and as far west as Missouri and Arkansas. Officials said the latest discoveries were no surprise but a cause for sadness, ac - knowledging they had no cure and could take only limited steps to protect the winged mammals that pro - vide an enormous economic and ecological benefit by feasting on nuisance insects that gobble crops and trees. "We face the loss of multi - ple bat species and the bene- fits they provide to our eco- systems and our people," said Erin Crain of the Wis- consin Department of Natu- ral Resources. White-nose syndrome is named for the fuzzy spots it plants on victims' muzzles, wings and tails. It doesn't af - fect people or other animals but repeatedly interrupts bat hibernation, sapping their energy and fat stores, which can cause starvation and dehydration. More than half of the 45 bat species in the U.S. hiber - nate during winter. Many seek out caves or mines, an ideal environment for spreading the killer fungus as bats clump together on the moist walls. Some might survive if they contract the illness late enough in winter. But the refuge could be a death trap for those that return the fol - lowing year. And some will move on to other enclosures and infect them — particu- larly during fall mating sea- son when huge flocks of bats sweep in and out of caves and mines, said Allen Kurta, an Eastern Michigan Uni - versity scientist. No one has come up with a treatment that would kill the fungus but not the bats, said Dan O'Brien, a wildlife veterinarian with the Mich - igan Department of Natural Resources. Another seemingly insur- mountable challenge would be producing enough medi- cation and getting it to the animals. " You'd have to have enough to treat all the bats out there to alter the course of the outbreak," O'Brien said. One step that can be taken is t o pr ev en t hu ma ns f ro m spreading the fungus, offi - cials said. When people ex- plore caves and abandoned mines, the spores often stick to their clothes and climbing gear.. It's believed to have come from Europe, which has different bat species that are not greatly affected. The New York cave where it first ap pe ar ed i s po pu la r wi th e x - plorers. The Michigan agency is developing an order barring entry to caves and aban - doned mines on state prop- erty. The structures have slats wide enough for bats to get in and out but too narrow for people. Twenty-two of the 27 largest hibernation spots in Michigan have been gated, O'Brien said.Wisconsin ad - opted rules in 2010 designed to stave off white-nose syn- drome. They declare caves on state property off-limits dur- ing winter and require cave and mine visitors to decon- taminate their shoes and equipment. Additionally, Wisconsin prohibits gear in its caves that out-of-state residents have used elsewhere. The state has spent about $5,400 in federal money on equip - ment that spelunkers from other states can use at three commercial caves. Eric McMaster, who re - ceived some of the money for his Crystal Cave in Spring Valley, said he doesn't be- lieve the discovery of white- nose will change his opera- tions much. ""It's just inevitable. The fungus doesn't respect state boundaries," he said. Only a few cases of the dis - ease have been found in the two states, but officials said large-scale die-offs might not be far away. A U.S. Geological Sur - vey lab in Madison, Wis., confirmed that at least two bats from a mine in Grant County in the southwestern corner of the state were in - fected. The disease has been con- firmed in 25 states and the fungus has been found in three others, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which estimates that more than 6 million bats have died. A 2011 study led by South - ern Illinois University calcu- lated that bats save the ag- ricultural economy $22.9 billion a year by gobbling crop-damaging insects and reducing the need for pesti - cides. They also eat mosqui- toes, some of which carry West Nile virus. wiLdLiFe Di se as e fa ta l to b at s spr ea ds t o ha lf o f co un tr y So far, the fungus has spread to the southeast and Midwest New York DepartmeNt of eNviroNmeNtal CoNservatioN — the assoCiateD press the disease is named for the white fuzzy spots it plants on victims' muzzles, wings and tails. michigan and wisconsin wildlife officials said april 10 that tests have confirmed the presence of the fungus in michigan and wisconsin. "we face the loss of multiple bat species and the benefits they provide to our ecosystems and our people." — Erin Crain of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Please recycle this newspaper. Thank you! The Northern California Surgical Group would like to welcome Dr. Robert Taylor as an Associate of our surgical practice. Dr. Taylor will continue to serve the surgical needs of patients in Red Bluff and also expand his services to the Redding community. Dr. Taylor specializes in General Surgery, Colonoscopy Screenings, and Reflux Disease. He will have office hours in Red Bluff and Redding. Appointments and Referrals can be made by calling (530) 244-2882 or by faxing to (530) 244-3703 1112 Washington St., Red Bluff 2656 Edith Ave, Ste B, Redding Lic#8981 Lic#7575 20 Antelope Blvd. Red Bluff 530-527-2403 www.myears4u.com Buy one & get one 1/2 off all month long April Round-up Special 'Cowboy Up 'n Gitch'r Hearin' In Gear www.redbluff.mercy.org redbluff.mercy.org Sees Easter Candy Sale April 15, 17, 18 Gift Shop 736-1326 Tough Enough To Wear Pink Sunday, April 20 Fairgrounds 527-1000 HEALTH » redbluffdailynews.com tuesday, April 15, 2014 » more at FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS aND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4