Thunderstorm asthma: 'You're talking an event equivalent to a terrorist attack'

A perfect storm of factors that triggered a mass asthma event and claimed at least six lives in Melbourne has perplexed health experts, who believe climate change may be the missing piece in the puzzle

A sudden drop in temperature in Melbourne on Monday evening from peaks of 35C brought with it severe thunderstorms and triggered a mass asthma event that left hospitals struggling to treat 8,500 patients.

There is a small group of researchers around the world working to understand the phenomena known as “thunderstorm asthma”, which although rare, can have devastating consequences. Climate change, they say, may be where part of the blame lies.

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Between 20 and 40% of those affected had never had asthma before, and so would not have been undergoing treatment