“Valley Fever” Has Gone Wild

"Valley Fever" Has Gone Wild

More people are dying from valley fever than previously thought, and illnesses including diabetes, lung disease, arthritis and certain cancers may increase a person's chances of dying from the disease, according to a new study.

Valley fever is a fungal infection caused by Coccidioides, a fungus that lives in soil in the southwestern United States and parts of Mexico, Central America, and South America. Some of its symptoms include fever, chest pain, headache, rash, muscle aches, joint pain and cough.

Once the airborne fungal spores are inhaled, it can cause an infection called coccidioidomycosis, which is also known as “cocci” or “valley fever.”

According to statistics, people who are exposed to the fungus to do not necessarily get sick after, however in some cases, some people develop flu-like symptoms that could last for weeks to months. In a very small proportion of people who get valley fever, the infection can spread from the lungs to the rest of the body and cause more severe conditions, such as meningitis or even death. Valley fever cannot spread from person to person.

Most cases of valley fever in the US takes place in people who live in or have traveled to the southwestern United States, especially Arizona and California. In 2011, more than 20,000 cases of valley fever were reported in the United States, but many more cases likely went undiagnosed. Researchers estimate that each year the fungus infects more than 150,000 people, many of whom are sick without knowing the cause or have cases so mild they aren’t detected.

Anyone can acquire a valley fever. However, studies show that it is most common on adults, especially those ages that ranges sixty and above. People who have newly moved to an area where the disease naturally occurs are at higher risk for infection.

It is quite difficult to avoid exposure to the fungus that causes valley fever, and there is still no vaccine to prevent the infection. Therefore, if you have symptoms of valley fever and you live in or have visited an area where the fungus that causes the infection is common in the environment, ask your doctor to test you for valley fever. If you have valley fever, you may need treatment with prescription antifungal medication.

Posted by George Daniels on Tuesday October 16 2012, 6:16 AM EDT. Ref: CDC. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0