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Valley fever cases are up across California: How to recognize the symptoms and protect yourself
By Carly Severn | KQED,
4 days ago
Water drips from a faucet near boat docks sitting on dry land at the Browns Ravine Cove area of drought-stricken Folsom Lake, in Folsom, Calif., in 2021. (Josh Edelson)
Cases of valley fever — a lung infection that can cause severe sickness in some people — are rising across California. And state health officials said they’re seeing an increasing number of cases of the disease reported outside the Central Valley and Central Coast areas where valley fever is traditionally most common.
In the first half of this year alone, more than 5,300 people in California have caught valley fever — including five people who contracted the disease after attending the Lightning in a Bottle music festival outside Bakersfield, according to the California Department of Public Health. These cases “occurred among people who traveled through Kern County, California, to attend the outdoor music festival,” officials said.
Three of the festivalgoers were hospitalized with the condition, which is not contagious. More people among the 20,000-plus attendees at the festival may have been affected.
While valley fever has been present in the Western U.S. for years, the frequency of cases has gone up in recent years. According to new research funded by the National Institutes of Health, the number of valley fever cases tripled between 2014 and 2018 — and then tripled again between 2018 and 2022. Overall, the infection rate has increased by 800% over the past 20 years.
“We are observing quite a bit of expansion of valley fever in California,” CDPH epidemiologist Gail Cooksey told health care professionals at a briefing last week, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle . “Something you may not have previously thought was in your [backyard] may start to emerge in those areas.”
Climate and health experts believe that changing climate conditions are contributing to the increase, with whiplashed cycles of wet weather followed by drought creating an ideal environment for the fungus that causes valley fever to thrive.
This all means that folks who were previously unfamiliar with valley fever — or have assumed the disease is unlikely to affect them personally — might benefit from knowing more about this condition and its symptoms. Keep reading for how to spot valley fever, who is most at risk of getting seriously sick and how to seek testing and treatment.
What is valley fever, and how do people catch it?
Valley fever is a lung infection that’s caused by a fungus called coccidioides (or “cocci”), which lives in soil in certain areas of California and the Southwestern U.S.
When soil that’s contaminated with cocci is kicked up or otherwise disturbed, infectious spores — that is, tiny particles — are released into the air and can be inhaled by people and animals. From there, cocci can enter the lungs and cause the disease known as valley fever (or coccidioidomycosis), resulting in symptoms that resemble pneumonia.
“You can get valley fever from just one breath of dust from outdoor air that contains spores of the valley fever fungus,” CDPH said. That said, the disease is “something that we think is much more common to get if you’re exposed to large amounts of dust,” said Alexandra Heaney, an assistant professor of public health at UC San Diego.
Travel to these areas poses a risk of contracting valley fever. In the first half of 2024, 300 cases of the disease were reported in residents of the nine-county Bay Area. In that same timeframe, 35% of all cases of valley fever in California were reported in Kern County, where the Lightning in the Bottle festival took place outside Bakersfield in May.
“We’re going into the season for valley fever right now,” state epidemiologist Cooksey warned health professionals in mid-August — noting that it was “definitely time to watch out for increases.”
What are the symptoms of valley fever?
Not everyone who is exposed to the cocci fungus will get valley fever. But those who do can get the following symptoms :
No: Valley fever is a respiratory disease, but it isn’t contagious in the way that COVID-19 or the flu is. Other people with valley fever can’t infect you, and if you get it, you can’t infect others either.
How will I know if my symptoms are really valley fever? Is there a test?
CDPH recommends that when you see a doctor, “think about any recent outdoor exposures to dirt and dust you may have had, especially if you work outdoors or have recently traveled to or through areas where valley fever is common.” You’ll also be asked if you’ve had any symptoms for more than a week.
How dangerous is valley fever, and what treatment is available?
However, some people who are at higher risk for severe disease from valley fever (see below) should seek treatment to make sure their infection doesn’t get worse. Currently, this treatment is a three- to six-month course of oral antifungal medication like fluconazole.
“Rarely,” valley fever can result in severe lung infections or infections throughout the body, according to the CDC. The agency said that around 5%–10% of people who get valley fever will develop “serious or long-term problems in their lungs,” and in around 1% of cases, the valley fever infection can spread from the lungs to elsewhere in the body, including the brain and nervous system, skin or bones.
In “extremely rare cases,” the agency said, the spores from the cocci fungus can enter your skin through a cut or even a splinter and cause an infection that way.
Who’s most at risk of developing severe disease from valley fever?
Pregnant people, especially in the later stages of pregnancy
People with diabetes
People with health conditions that weaken the immune system, such as cancer, HIV, autoimmune illnesses, treatment with medications that affect the immune system like chemotherapy and steroids, and organ transplant recipients.
What can I do to lower my risk of getting valley fever?
Moreover, the CDC acknowledges that it’s “very difficult” to avoid breathing in this type of fungus “in areas where it lives in the environment.”
What to do when you’re driving through an area where valley fever is common
CDPH advised that you keep all car windows closed and use the “recirculating air” button in your car if you have one (it’s the button with the symbol of a car with a looping arrow inside it.)
When your recirculating air is on, your car will stop taking in any air from the outside — and instead, your AC will recirculate the air that’s already inside your car. This will help prevent dust carrying this fungus from entering your car while still keeping the inside of your car cool.
What to do if you’re visiting where valley fever is common
Locations like construction and excavation sites can pose more risk, as the cocci fungal spores can travel into the air when dust is kicked up. The CDC said that if you can’t avoid these areas outright, you should wear a fitted N95 mask and stay inside during dust storms.
The agency also recommended using air filtration or air conditioning indoors and avoiding activities like gardening that involve “contact with soil.” UC San Diego’s Heaney noted that when activities like gardening or construction are unavoidable, “wetting down soil before doing any of that disruption can help prevent the emission of dust” and help reduce your valley fever risks.
KQED’s Katie DeBenedetti and Riley Cooke contributed to this story.
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