#valleyfever — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #valleyfever, aggregated by home.social.
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Hmm, met a cat that got Valley Fever. Poor kitty. Also, apparently there are Valley Fever spores in Camarillo, California. (acquired after homeowner tilled their yard and the cat was rolling in it). #valleyfever
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"More Awareness Needed as Climate Change Could Spread Valley Fever
The changing environment—urbanization, industrialization and climate change—is leading to the spread of Coccidioides. Until recently, the fungus that causes Valley fever lived mostly in the southwestern United States, but today clinicians throughout the country should keep an open mind about this condition (JAMA Insights 2025 Feb 20. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.27274).
'Valley fever is caused by Coccidioides, a fungus that prefers dry areas,' said Pamela S. Lee, MS, MD, of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, in Torrance, Calif. 'Valley fever refers to the San Joaquin Valley [in California], but also has ‘hot spots’ in Arizona and Texas.'
Coccidioides resides in soil, and its growth is thought to increase with heavy precipitation. In their paper, Dr. Lee and her colleagues discussed how several years of drought followed by the very wet storms in California in 2022-2023 led to 'record-high numbers of coccidioidomycosis in 2023.'
Climate change has already increased temperatures and evaporative demand (i.e., the propensity of air to drive evaporation from the land surface and bodies of water) in the U.S. These changes have increased drought severity and soil dryness in the American West, with further increases anticipated depending on future global warming trajectory,' Dr. Lee and her team wrote. 'Decreases in soil moisture and/or increasingly wide or frequent swings between dry and wet conditions may promote environmental settings increasingly favorable to Coccidioides growth and dispersion.'
Coccidioidomycosis occurs with inhalation of spores that emerge from the soil when areas dry out, explained John Galgiani, MD, a professor of medicine in infectious diseases at the University of Arizona College of Medicine–Tucson."
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In #Arizona, a fight against a deadly #fungus is under threat from #Trump’s health policies
What one doctor’s quest to stop #ValleyFever says about America’s preparedness for climate-driven disease.
by Zoya Teirstein, October 2, 2025
Excerpt: "Valley fever is endemic to southern #WashingtonState, #Oregon, #California, #Nevada, #Utah, #NewMexico, #Texas, and parts of #CentralAmerica and #SouthAmerica, but nowhere are cases of the disease more common than in Arizona. After Arizona started mandatory laboratory reporting for valley fever in 1997, registered cases ticked up and down. But the number began trending upward dramatically in 2016. Then, in 2024, cases in the state exploded, hitting their second-highest total ever. More than 15,000 infections were reported — a 37 percent increase over 2023. California, which runs just behind Arizona in its annual valley fever caseload, registered a record-breaking 12,637 cases in 2024, representing a 39 percent increase over the previous year, which had already smashed a record set in 2019.
"Some portion of the rise in reported cases represents growing awareness among physicians and an associated surge in testing. The pace of new construction in #UntouchedAreas also plays a role.
"But the recent increase in cases has been so dramatic, Galgiani and other researchers across the West who study the fungus think another factor may be driving the trend: #supersoaker winter #monsoons followed by scorching summer #heat and #drought, a cycle made more intense by #ClimateChange.
"Because warmer air holds more moisture, monsoons and other major rainfall events pull in larger quantities of water vapor and produce heavier downpours as the planet warms. This physical fact has fueled a spate of #MonsterFloods across the U.S. and around the world in recent years. But the same warmth can conversely lead to drought by making the atmosphere 'thirstier,' or capable of absorbing more water from the land’s surface. Both conditions facilitate the spread of valley fever — the wetter conditions by encouraging growth of the #spores, and the drier by facilitating desiccation and soil disturbance.
" 'The main driver for us is certainly this very clear association for #coccidioides between heavy precipitation cycles followed by drought,' said George Thompson, a professor of medicine at the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine who specializes in #FungalDiseases.
"And it’s not just valley fever that may increase its spread thanks to climate change. Peer reviewed research shows that fungal threats of all kinds are poised to emerge and thrive in a warming world."
https://grist.org/health/valley-fever-arizona-fungus-climate-change/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
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In #Arizona, a fight against a deadly #fungus is under threat from #Trump’s health policies
What one doctor’s quest to stop #ValleyFever says about America’s preparedness for climate-driven disease.
by Zoya Teirstein, October 2, 2025
Excerpt: "Valley fever is endemic to southern #WashingtonState, #Oregon, #California, #Nevada, #Utah, #NewMexico, #Texas, and parts of #CentralAmerica and #SouthAmerica, but nowhere are cases of the disease more common than in Arizona. After Arizona started mandatory laboratory reporting for valley fever in 1997, registered cases ticked up and down. But the number began trending upward dramatically in 2016. Then, in 2024, cases in the state exploded, hitting their second-highest total ever. More than 15,000 infections were reported — a 37 percent increase over 2023. California, which runs just behind Arizona in its annual valley fever caseload, registered a record-breaking 12,637 cases in 2024, representing a 39 percent increase over the previous year, which had already smashed a record set in 2019.
"Some portion of the rise in reported cases represents growing awareness among physicians and an associated surge in testing. The pace of new construction in #UntouchedAreas also plays a role.
"But the recent increase in cases has been so dramatic, Galgiani and other researchers across the West who study the fungus think another factor may be driving the trend: #supersoaker winter #monsoons followed by scorching summer #heat and #drought, a cycle made more intense by #ClimateChange.
"Because warmer air holds more moisture, monsoons and other major rainfall events pull in larger quantities of water vapor and produce heavier downpours as the planet warms. This physical fact has fueled a spate of #MonsterFloods across the U.S. and around the world in recent years. But the same warmth can conversely lead to drought by making the atmosphere 'thirstier,' or capable of absorbing more water from the land’s surface. Both conditions facilitate the spread of valley fever — the wetter conditions by encouraging growth of the #spores, and the drier by facilitating desiccation and soil disturbance.
" 'The main driver for us is certainly this very clear association for #coccidioides between heavy precipitation cycles followed by drought,' said George Thompson, a professor of medicine at the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine who specializes in #FungalDiseases.
"And it’s not just valley fever that may increase its spread thanks to climate change. Peer reviewed research shows that fungal threats of all kinds are poised to emerge and thrive in a warming world."
https://grist.org/health/valley-fever-arizona-fungus-climate-change/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
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In #Arizona, a fight against a deadly #fungus is under threat from #Trump’s health policies
What one doctor’s quest to stop #ValleyFever says about America’s preparedness for climate-driven disease.
by Zoya Teirstein, October 2, 2025
Excerpt: "Valley fever is endemic to southern #WashingtonState, #Oregon, #California, #Nevada, #Utah, #NewMexico, #Texas, and parts of #CentralAmerica and #SouthAmerica, but nowhere are cases of the disease more common than in Arizona. After Arizona started mandatory laboratory reporting for valley fever in 1997, registered cases ticked up and down. But the number began trending upward dramatically in 2016. Then, in 2024, cases in the state exploded, hitting their second-highest total ever. More than 15,000 infections were reported — a 37 percent increase over 2023. California, which runs just behind Arizona in its annual valley fever caseload, registered a record-breaking 12,637 cases in 2024, representing a 39 percent increase over the previous year, which had already smashed a record set in 2019.
"Some portion of the rise in reported cases represents growing awareness among physicians and an associated surge in testing. The pace of new construction in #UntouchedAreas also plays a role.
"But the recent increase in cases has been so dramatic, Galgiani and other researchers across the West who study the fungus think another factor may be driving the trend: #supersoaker winter #monsoons followed by scorching summer #heat and #drought, a cycle made more intense by #ClimateChange.
"Because warmer air holds more moisture, monsoons and other major rainfall events pull in larger quantities of water vapor and produce heavier downpours as the planet warms. This physical fact has fueled a spate of #MonsterFloods across the U.S. and around the world in recent years. But the same warmth can conversely lead to drought by making the atmosphere 'thirstier,' or capable of absorbing more water from the land’s surface. Both conditions facilitate the spread of valley fever — the wetter conditions by encouraging growth of the #spores, and the drier by facilitating desiccation and soil disturbance.
" 'The main driver for us is certainly this very clear association for #coccidioides between heavy precipitation cycles followed by drought,' said George Thompson, a professor of medicine at the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine who specializes in #FungalDiseases.
"And it’s not just valley fever that may increase its spread thanks to climate change. Peer reviewed research shows that fungal threats of all kinds are poised to emerge and thrive in a warming world."
https://grist.org/health/valley-fever-arizona-fungus-climate-change/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
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In #Arizona, a fight against a deadly #fungus is under threat from #Trump’s health policies
What one doctor’s quest to stop #ValleyFever says about America’s preparedness for climate-driven disease.
by Zoya Teirstein, October 2, 2025
Excerpt: "Valley fever is endemic to southern #WashingtonState, #Oregon, #California, #Nevada, #Utah, #NewMexico, #Texas, and parts of #CentralAmerica and #SouthAmerica, but nowhere are cases of the disease more common than in Arizona. After Arizona started mandatory laboratory reporting for valley fever in 1997, registered cases ticked up and down. But the number began trending upward dramatically in 2016. Then, in 2024, cases in the state exploded, hitting their second-highest total ever. More than 15,000 infections were reported — a 37 percent increase over 2023. California, which runs just behind Arizona in its annual valley fever caseload, registered a record-breaking 12,637 cases in 2024, representing a 39 percent increase over the previous year, which had already smashed a record set in 2019.
"Some portion of the rise in reported cases represents growing awareness among physicians and an associated surge in testing. The pace of new construction in #UntouchedAreas also plays a role.
"But the recent increase in cases has been so dramatic, Galgiani and other researchers across the West who study the fungus think another factor may be driving the trend: #supersoaker winter #monsoons followed by scorching summer #heat and #drought, a cycle made more intense by #ClimateChange.
"Because warmer air holds more moisture, monsoons and other major rainfall events pull in larger quantities of water vapor and produce heavier downpours as the planet warms. This physical fact has fueled a spate of #MonsterFloods across the U.S. and around the world in recent years. But the same warmth can conversely lead to drought by making the atmosphere 'thirstier,' or capable of absorbing more water from the land’s surface. Both conditions facilitate the spread of valley fever — the wetter conditions by encouraging growth of the #spores, and the drier by facilitating desiccation and soil disturbance.
" 'The main driver for us is certainly this very clear association for #coccidioides between heavy precipitation cycles followed by drought,' said George Thompson, a professor of medicine at the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine who specializes in #FungalDiseases.
"And it’s not just valley fever that may increase its spread thanks to climate change. Peer reviewed research shows that fungal threats of all kinds are poised to emerge and thrive in a warming world."
https://grist.org/health/valley-fever-arizona-fungus-climate-change/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
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In #Arizona, a fight against a deadly #fungus is under threat from #Trump’s health policies
What one doctor’s quest to stop #ValleyFever says about America’s preparedness for climate-driven disease.
by Zoya Teirstein, October 2, 2025
Excerpt: "Valley fever is endemic to southern #WashingtonState, #Oregon, #California, #Nevada, #Utah, #NewMexico, #Texas, and parts of #CentralAmerica and #SouthAmerica, but nowhere are cases of the disease more common than in Arizona. After Arizona started mandatory laboratory reporting for valley fever in 1997, registered cases ticked up and down. But the number began trending upward dramatically in 2016. Then, in 2024, cases in the state exploded, hitting their second-highest total ever. More than 15,000 infections were reported — a 37 percent increase over 2023. California, which runs just behind Arizona in its annual valley fever caseload, registered a record-breaking 12,637 cases in 2024, representing a 39 percent increase over the previous year, which had already smashed a record set in 2019.
"Some portion of the rise in reported cases represents growing awareness among physicians and an associated surge in testing. The pace of new construction in #UntouchedAreas also plays a role.
"But the recent increase in cases has been so dramatic, Galgiani and other researchers across the West who study the fungus think another factor may be driving the trend: #supersoaker winter #monsoons followed by scorching summer #heat and #drought, a cycle made more intense by #ClimateChange.
"Because warmer air holds more moisture, monsoons and other major rainfall events pull in larger quantities of water vapor and produce heavier downpours as the planet warms. This physical fact has fueled a spate of #MonsterFloods across the U.S. and around the world in recent years. But the same warmth can conversely lead to drought by making the atmosphere 'thirstier,' or capable of absorbing more water from the land’s surface. Both conditions facilitate the spread of valley fever — the wetter conditions by encouraging growth of the #spores, and the drier by facilitating desiccation and soil disturbance.
" 'The main driver for us is certainly this very clear association for #coccidioides between heavy precipitation cycles followed by drought,' said George Thompson, a professor of medicine at the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine who specializes in #FungalDiseases.
"And it’s not just valley fever that may increase its spread thanks to climate change. Peer reviewed research shows that fungal threats of all kinds are poised to emerge and thrive in a warming world."
https://grist.org/health/valley-fever-arizona-fungus-climate-change/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
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I Survived a Deadly Disease in Prison. No One Else Should Have To Face It.
While incarcerated at California’s Wasco State Prison in November 2024, I woke up drenched in sweat. I quickly became sicker: body aches, shortness of breath, and no energy. I recognized the symptoms of valley fever, a lung infection caused by fungus that grows in the Southwest. Despite repeated requests to be tested for it, I was instead told it was pneumonia and given antibiotics.
This post has been syndicated from Truthout, where it was published under this address.
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#ClimateChange #disease #California #ValleyFever
"A new study led by researchers at UC Berkeley reveals that longer, drier summers in California can extend the transmission season of Valley fever, a fungal disease that is emerging across the southwestern U.S.
Cases of Valley fever in California typically rise in the late summer and decline in the winter. The study, published today in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, finds that shifts in seasonal rainfall patterns—such as those anticipated with climate change—shift the start of the transmission season earlier, and prolong its duration.
Valley fever, or coccidioidomycosis, is caused by inhaling spores of the fungus Coccidioides, which is found in arid soils of the southwestern United States. The spores can become airborne when soil is disturbed by wind, construction, or other activities. California has seen record-breaking Valley fever incidence in recent years, raising concerns that climate change may further exacerbate the disease’s spread. Symptoms of Valley fever range from fever, cough, and chest pain to severe complications in some individuals, including pneumonia and meningitis."
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Great article by Katharine Walter on expanding range of #ValleyFever. Fungal diseases have unique #epidemiology driven by climate change, natural and human disturbance, and biological and ecological processes that we don't understand well! www.noemamag.com/the-making-o... #OneHealth #Epidemiology 🧪
The Making Of A New American E... -
> Nineteen people tested positive for #ValleyFever after attending the #LightningInABottle #music #festival near #Bakersfield in May, according to CDPH. Eight of those people were hospitalized. The festival was held at #BuenaVista Aquatic Recreational Area on the shores of Buena Vista Lake, surrounded by farmland and other open space.
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California Dept. Of Public Health Investigating Disease Outbreak Among Music Festival Attendees
#News #CDPH #LightninginaBottle #Valleyfever -
"California health officials are urging people who attended the Kern County music festival Lightning in a Bottle to seek medical care if they are experiencing respiratory symptoms or a fever.
Authorities have identified five patients with valley fever who attended the six-day event, which was held May 22-27 at Buena Vista Lake, near Bakersfield. Three people have been hospitalized."
#Bakersfield #ValleyFever #LightningInABottle #MusicFestivalDisaster #disasters
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"California health officials are urging people who attended the Kern County music festival Lightning in a Bottle to seek medical care if they are experiencing respiratory symptoms or a fever.
Authorities have identified five patients with valley fever who attended the six-day event, which was held May 22-27 at Buena Vista Lake, near Bakersfield. Three people have been hospitalized."
#Bakersfield #ValleyFever #LightningInABottle #MusicFestivalDisaster #disasters
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"California health officials are urging people who attended the Kern County music festival Lightning in a Bottle to seek medical care if they are experiencing respiratory symptoms or a fever.
Authorities have identified five patients with valley fever who attended the six-day event, which was held May 22-27 at Buena Vista Lake, near Bakersfield. Three people have been hospitalized."
#Bakersfield #ValleyFever #LightningInABottle #MusicFestivalDisaster #disasters
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"California health officials are urging people who attended the Kern County music festival Lightning in a Bottle to seek medical care if they are experiencing respiratory symptoms or a fever.
Authorities have identified five patients with valley fever who attended the six-day event, which was held May 22-27 at Buena Vista Lake, near Bakersfield. Three people have been hospitalized."
#Bakersfield #ValleyFever #LightningInABottle #MusicFestivalDisaster #disasters
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"California health officials are urging people who attended the Kern County music festival Lightning in a Bottle to seek medical care if they are experiencing respiratory symptoms or a fever.
Authorities have identified five patients with valley fever who attended the six-day event, which was held May 22-27 at Buena Vista Lake, near Bakersfield. Three people have been hospitalized."
#Bakersfield #ValleyFever #LightningInABottle #MusicFestivalDisaster #disasters
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Disease outbreak linked to a music festival.
LA Times: Valley fever strikes attendees of Kern County music festival
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-07-29/valley-fever-kern-county-music-festival -
The Climate Is Changing: What This Means for Our Fight Against Infectious Diseases
#Health #CDC #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #Floods #WHO #ClimateInfections #COP28 #NetZero2030 #WestNile #FungalInfection #ValleyFever #Mosquitoes #LymeDisease #Malaria
https://the-14.com/the-climate-is-changing-what-this-means-for-our-fight-against-infectious-diseases/ -
The Climate Is Changing: What This Means for Our Fight Against Infectious Diseases
#Health #CDC #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #Floods #WHO #ClimateInfections #COP28 #NetZero2030 #WestNile #FungalInfection #ValleyFever #Mosquitoes #LymeDisease #Malaria
https://the-14.com/the-climate-is-changing-what-this-means-for-our-fight-against-infectious-diseases/ -
The Climate Is Changing: What This Means for Our Fight Against Infectious Diseases
#Health #CDC #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #Floods #WHO #ClimateInfections #COP28 #NetZero2030 #WestNile #FungalInfection #ValleyFever #Mosquitoes #LymeDisease #Malaria
https://the-14.com/the-climate-is-changing-what-this-means-for-our-fight-against-infectious-diseases/ -
The Climate Is Changing: What This Means for Our Fight Against Infectious Diseases
#Health #CDC #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #Floods #WHO #ClimateInfections #COP28 #NetZero2030 #WestNile #FungalInfection #ValleyFever #Mosquitoes #LymeDisease #Malaria
https://the-14.com/the-climate-is-changing-what-this-means-for-our-fight-against-infectious-diseases/ -
The Climate Is Changing: What This Means for Our Fight Against Infectious Diseases
#Health #CDC #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #Floods #WHO #ClimateInfections #COP28 #NetZero2030 #WestNile #FungalInfection #ValleyFever #Mosquitoes #LymeDisease #Malaria
https://the-14.com/the-climate-is-changing-what-this-means-for-our-fight-against-infectious-diseases/ -
Available in pre-proof - A microbial risk assessor's guide to Valley Fever (Coccidioides spp.): Case study and review of risk factors. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969724002754
Thanks to all co-authors. Our first real foray into #QMRA of #fungi #MicrobialRiskAssessment #ValleyFever #Coccoidiodes
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Available in pre-proof - A microbial risk assessor's guide to Valley Fever (Coccidioides spp.): Case study and review of risk factors. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969724002754
Thanks to all co-authors. Our first real foray into #QMRA of #fungi #MicrobialRiskAssessment #ValleyFever #Coccoidiodes
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Available in pre-proof - A microbial risk assessor's guide to Valley Fever (Coccidioides spp.): Case study and review of risk factors. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969724002754
Thanks to all co-authors. Our first real foray into #QMRA of #fungi #MicrobialRiskAssessment #ValleyFever #Coccoidiodes
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Available in pre-proof - A microbial risk assessor's guide to Valley Fever (Coccidioides spp.): Case study and review of risk factors. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969724002754
Thanks to all co-authors. Our first real foray into #QMRA of #fungi #MicrobialRiskAssessment #ValleyFever #Coccoidiodes
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Available in pre-proof - A microbial risk assessor's guide to Valley Fever (Coccidioides spp.): Case study and review of risk factors. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969724002754
Thanks to all co-authors. Our first real foray into #QMRA of #fungi #MicrobialRiskAssessment #ValleyFever #Coccoidiodes
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Valley fever scares the shit out of me. I found out about this fungal disease when we adopted our puppy @luna. She was three-months-old when she got pneumonia. After all normal treatments failed, her vet finally decided to try anti-fungal treatments. Within hours she improved, but the spores remain in her system. She's almost five now, but still depends on daily medication to hold the fungus at bay.
The disease impacts humans the same way. Some are cured quickly, in others it becomes chronic, having to spend hundreds of dollars a month on medication.
Oh, and this is another disease that's thriving because of
climate change.
#ValleyFever #Cocci #Dogs #ClimateChange
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kggpgKea0lk -
Impact and Control of Valley Fever: Proceedings of a Workshop–in Brief
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/26928 #Coccidioides #ValleyFever #fungi #ThinkFungus -
Impact and Control of Valley Fever: Proceedings of a Workshop–in Brief
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/26928 #Coccidioides #ValleyFever #fungi #ThinkFungus -
Impact and Control of Valley Fever: Proceedings of a Workshop–in Brief
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/26928 #Coccidioides #ValleyFever #fungi #ThinkFungus -
Impact and Control of Valley Fever: Proceedings of a Workshop–in Brief
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/26928 #Coccidioides #ValleyFever #fungi #ThinkFungus -
Impact and Control of Valley Fever: Proceedings of a Workshop–in Brief
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/26928 #Coccidioides #ValleyFever #fungi #ThinkFungus -
CW: Selfie
I've had valley fever once and that was plenty. Now whenever I'm in #Arizona and dirt is blowing around, I cover up. #ValleyFever #selfie
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#ValleyFever, historically found only in the Southwest, is spreading. It can have devastating consequences. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/valley-fever-historically-found-only-southwest-spreading-can-devastati-rcna64313
The fungus that causes Valley fever is found in hot, dry environments. As the climate warms, scientists project its range will expand. #ClimateCrisis #globalwarming #globalhealth -
On the importance of updating disease incidence and tracking https://www.sciencenews.org/article/fungi-cause-serious-lung-infections-found #fungi #fungalpathogens #valleyfever #aspergillus #histoplasmosis
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Effects of precipitation, heat, & drought on incidence & expansion of #coccidioidomycosis in western USA: a longitudinal surveillance study
Multiyear cycles of dryness followed by wet winter associated with increased transmission of #valleyfever.
Expect much more of this w/ #ClimateChange
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(22)00202-9/fulltext
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Wow 🤩🤯
We now have a rupturing #Coccidioides spherule emoji :cocci:
@nick you continue to outdo yourself!
#ValleyFever #Coccidioidomycosis #Mycology @MSG_ERC