Jess Hardiman
A potentially deadly disease is on the rise in the US, with officials warning there’s been a ‘dramatic explosion’ in cases.
Valley fever, also called coccidioidomycosis or ‘cocci’, is essentially a lung infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The disease is caused by a fungus that grows in the soil in areas of California and the southwestern US, and, while most cases are mild, it can lead to chronic health issues and even death in extreme circumstances.
People and animals can get sick if they breathe in dust containing the fungus, which in turn infects the lungs and causes respiratory problems, along with other symptoms, including tiredness.
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The California Department of Public Health has warned that valley fever cases are ‘on the rise’ in the state, including in the northern Central Valley and southern coastal areas of California.
“Most cases of Valley fever in California are reported from the Central Valley and Central Coast regions,” it explained.
“But Valley fever cases have also been increasing outside of these regions as California experiences more drought."
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And there’s one main culprit, according to experts.
Shaun Yang, the director for molecular microbiology and pathogen genomics at the UCLA Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, said California has faced relatively mild and wet winters, meaning the fungus has been able to thrive underground without the frost getting to it to kill it off.
“This kind of very wet and dry pattern definitely is perfect for this fungus to grow,” Yang told SFGATE, with the outlet saying cases have ‘climbed more than 1,200% in California’ in just 25 years.
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Yep, climate change has been causing all kinds of havoc in California in recent years, and it’s thought these years of extreme drought and rainfall may be a leading cause behind the spike in cases.
“I think climate change is the main reason to explain this type of dramatic explosion,” he said. “I don’t think anything else can explain this type of phenomenon.”
Yang explained how his team used to encounter about one case a month of valley fever, but now they’re often looking at five cases a month – including, occasionally, cases among children.
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“When children get this kind of very severe [Valley fever,] it’s very devastating,” he warned.
This is because, in children, the infection can spread to the bone, meaning they can be left with chronic illness.
“They’re not going to live normally,” Yang said.
Thankfully, valley fever is not contagious, meaning it can’t spread from person to person or between animals and people.
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However, the symptoms can prove pretty nasty.