Valley Fever 101

With last week's dust storm the health department is predicting a rise in cases of Valley Fever so I thought I would brush up on my knowledge about it.  Here is a summary of what I learned.

Valley Fever is caused by a fungus ("cocci") that lives in the soil of hot dry areas.  It lives in the top 2-8 inches of the soil so things such as dust storms and construction stir it up. 60% of all cases occur in Arizona.  It also can be found in Mexico, California, and New Mexico. 

One contracts Valley Fever by inhaling the spores.  It is not contagious from one person to another. You also cannot catch it from or give it to your pet.  It takes 1-4 weeks for someone to develop symptoms after being exposed to Valley Fever.

The good news is that most people do not get seriously sick from Valley Fever. In fact 60% of people who catch it have no symptoms and don't even know that they had it.  35% of people do have symptoms such as fatigue, cough, and fever.  Many of these people again do not know that they have Valley Fever because many of them get better without treatment.  Only 2-4% of people with Valley Fever get seriously sick.

Who is at risk for Valley Fever?  Any age can get sick from Valley Fever from an infant to an older adult.  It does occur more often in males and in those over 65 years of age.  More serious symptoms are more likely to happen in those who are Native American and Hispanic.

That's enough for now, I don't want to bore you!  I will continue this next week.