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Valley Fever

PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 9:33 am
by wildrose
Valley Fever
I've heard of a few cases in the area lately. This is not a pleasant illness to endure by any stretch of the imagination. I've heard that at least a few people in Kern County have filed lawsuits against construction companies who put up a lot of dust while bulldozing areas in preparation for building houses near existing residential areas. The companies should have thoroughly dampened the soil to prevent the dust from blowing, but they failed to take this precaution and now individuals living near the construction site have contracted valley fever and are blaming it on the construction company.
Coccidioidomycosis (commonly known as "Valley fever", as well as "California fever", "Desert rheumatism", and "San Joaquin Valley fever") is a fungal disease caused by Coccidioides immitis or C. posadasii. It is endemic in certain parts of Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah and northwestern Mexico. C. immitis resides in the soil in certain parts of the southwestern United States, northern Mexico, and parts of Central and South America. It is dormant during long dry spells, then develops as a mold with long filaments that break off into airborne spores when the rains come. The spores, known as arthroconidia, are swept into the air by disruption of the soil, such as during construction, farming, or an earthquake.

LINK: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coccidioidomycosis

Re: Valley Fever

PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 10:58 am
by mrfish
A relative in Texas had a case of valley fever that lasted a couple months. The doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with him for a long time. Eventually he recovered, but he was in bad shape for quite some time. My understanding is that elderly people are particularly susceptible to this disease and that they often wind up with complications which not only immobilize them, but in some cases actually leads to death. Most people don't wind up with prolonged or severe symptoms, but when things go in that direction it can be pretty bad!
:scared:

Re: Valley Fever

PostPosted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 9:07 am
by cactuspete
There have been a few cases of valley fever in the area. It's actually worse in Arizona, but Ridgecrest and Trona are hot spots for the infection without a doubt! Most people don't experience severe symptoms, but those who do are in for a rather unpleasant ordeal. BTW, pets can also get the disease. Dogs are susceptible and it's a little tougher to figure out what's wrong with them since they can't exactly explain what's going on with them.
Valley fever is a fungal infection most commonly seen in the desert regions of the southwestern United States, and in Central and South America. You get it by breathing in the fungus from soil. The infection starts in the lungs. Valley fever may also be called coccidioidomycosis. Traveling to an area where the fungus is commonly seen raises your risk for this infection.

LINK: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002299/

Re: Valley Fever

PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 9:54 am
by desertrat
Ike Davis opens up about his valley fever, or whatever it was, last year
Even athletes can wind up with this affliction. It's not just the elderly and children, although those two groups may be more at risk.
Last year Ike Davis was reported to have valley fever, a fungal infection which sapped his strength and led to him having a horrific start to the season. Of course he downplayed it all

LINK: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/08/ike-davis-opens-up-about-his-valley-fever-or-whatever-it-was-last-year/

Re: Valley Fever

PostPosted: Wed Jan 08, 2014 9:24 am
by deathvalleyjake
I know that flu season is upon us and that many areas are reporting widespread flu outbreaks. I wonder what the stats are for valley fever. There doesn't seem to be a lot of reliable information out there on this topic.

Re: Valley Fever

PostPosted: Thu Sep 03, 2015 7:19 pm
by dzrtdwg
Valley Fever may be triggered with wind speeds
This affliction is a bit on the mysterious side. It seems to hit people almost at random.

Re: Valley Fever

PostPosted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 7:20 pm
by BoraxBill
Valley fever drops despite CA drought
Cases have dropped steadily since 2011, but there might be a resurgence in the near future.

Re: Valley Fever

PostPosted: Tue Nov 07, 2017 6:27 pm
by panamint_patty
Sheriff Youngblood shares personal valley fever experience
Kern County and the Bakersfield area in particular is the epicenter for this disease and Trona is not all that far away. I don't know how many people get the disease in this area, but I'm sure it happens.

Re: Valley Fever

PostPosted: Wed Nov 08, 2017 7:13 am
by camel
panamint_patty: And that's why it's a good idea not to stir up too much dust in this general area. Construction, OHVs, etc. are all very bad things when it comes to dispersing the spores which cause valley fever.

Re: Valley Fever

PostPosted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 8:30 pm
by drdesert
Valley fever cases for dogs have spiked in the last three months
Treatment goes on and on and it's expensive to treat. Dogs love to dig and as a result they expose themselves to the fungus spores which cause the disease.