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Friday, April 12, 2013

CDC report: Valley Fever cases increase in California, southwestern US.


Several national outlets and a few Phoenix-based sources discussed a CDC report that noted a dramatic increase in Valley Fever cases throughout California and the American Southwest. The articles explained where the fungal infection was centralized at, and health officials explained its severity.
        The Los Angeles Times (3/28, Gorman, 692K) "LA Now" blog reports that a CDC report claims the amount of Valley fever cases in California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah has "skyrocketed" in the past decade, with over 22,000 cases in 2011 compared to 2,265 in 1998. "Valley fever is a fungal respiratory infection and can lead to flu-like symptoms that can last weeks. About 40% of those who get sick may require hospitalization, according to the CDC."
        The Huffington Post (3/28) reports the CDC report said there "were 112,000 total cases, with the most appearing in Arizona (66 percent), followed by California (31 percent)." Dr. Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H., the director of the CDC, said in a statement, "Valley Fever is causing real health problems for many people living in the southwestern United States. Because fungus particles spread through the air, it's nearly impossible to completely avoid exposure to this fungus in these hardest-hit states. It's important that people be aware of Valley Fever if they live in or have travelled [sic] to the southwest United States."
        The New York Times (3/29, A16, Mcneil, Subscription Publication, 1.68M) notes Dr. Benjamin J. Park, CDC's chief epidemiologist for fungal diseases explained that people who are often outside have an increased chance of catching the fever, "but people who work in office buildings have gotten it, and there's one case of someone who just passed through the Phoenix airport."
        NBC News (3/28, Fox) reports on its website that Valley Fever is "caused by a fungus called Coccidioides. It lives naturally in the soil, and becomes airborne when dirt or sand is disturbed. Winds can carry the spores far aloft, and people breathe them in unknowingly." University of Arizona researchers said that 60 percent of infected persons to not have any symptoms and 30 percent have weak to moderate infections. Less than 10 percent of victims "suffer complications, and 1 percent of victims die."
        HealthDay (3/29) notes "not everyone who gets Valley Fever requires treatment, but early diagnosis and treatment are important for those at risk for the more severe forms of the disease." The CDC website claims "those at higher risk for severe disease include people of Asian descent (particularly Filipino), blacks, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems."
        Medscape (3/29) explains the reasons for the increase are unclear, "but it might have to do with environmental changes to the soil in which the Coccidioides spores reside, or disruption of soil by human activity, such as construction. Changes in reporting or laboratory methods might have played a role, but probably do not fully explain it, the CDC says."
        Other sources reporting on this story include FOX News (3/28), Stockton (CA) Record (3/29, Cook, 33K), Phoenix New Times(3/28, Hendley, 91K), Arizona Republic (3/28, 308K), KPHO-TV Phoenix (3/28, Benson), KSAZ-TV Phoenix (3/28), and KNXV-TVPhoenix (3/29).

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