Every columnist repeats topics from time to time. This is a first for me, but it’s an important one. Public health issues deserve the attention.

In about a month, temperatures outside will start to do that dance our noses love so much. It’ll be more “hot and cold” than the Saints defense the past decade. By mid-month in October 2013, temperatures had ranged from 48 degrees to 90 degrees as summer turned stubbornly to fall. Remember the winter? It produced ice storms and road crews applying gobs of sand and gravel on the roads to lessen the chance of accidents. Again, that’s by the 15th, not the full month. It’s the kind of thing that keeps central Mississippi in the top 10 for allergy severity in the U.S., so it’s a good time to bone up on meds, hot tea or other prescribed equipment if you’re sensitive to it.

Finding central Mississippi on the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s lists for spring and fall allergies is nearly the kind of slam-dunk it is for finding Alabama or LSU in the Associated Press top 10 for college football. Only, this can dunk your allergies or, for the 250 million worldwide who have it, asthma, in a bucket of hurt.

Metro Jackson checks in fifth on the list of Spring Allergy Capitals for 2014, according to the advocacy group’s annual ratings. That’s down from Numero Uno in 2013, but the pollen score of about 300 grains per cubic meter of air daily keeps the entire region ranked high.

The area ranked second last fall on the Fall Allergy Capitals list. In all seriousness, allergies know no seasons or boundaries when it comes to flare-ups. In August, the highest recorded temperature was 98, on the 24th. Long stretches of high humidity kept tree lines in Vicksburg and Warren County charcoal gray with hazy, heavy air mixed with pollen and what essentially amounts to smog. I love my air-conditioning, but when it’s that hot outside, the up-and-down creates one thing — sinus pressure. Yikes!

There’s an array of over-the-counter remedies out there to keep the fog in your head at bay. For those with serious chronic ailments, such as severe asthma, get with your doctor to stay current on life-saving inhalers and medication.

To be sure, the Tigers and Tide are represented on this poll, too. Baton Rouge was rated third and Birmingham ninth. Louisville, Ky. was tops after being fifth last year. But, there’s no reason to keep sneezing and wheezing. Get ahead of the haze and fog and protect yourself this fall.

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Danny Barrett is a reporter and can be reached by email at danny.barrett@vicksburgpost.com or by phone at 601-636-4545.