Valley Fever education pushed

The scientific name is “cocci-dio-ido-my-cosis” but most of us know it as Valley Fever.

It’s caused by a fungus usually found in the top 12 inches of soil, and of the 50,000 new cases in the United States each year, two-thirds originate in Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties.

The disease is common in the hot deserts of the Western Hemisphere where elevations are low, there’s little rain and the soil is sandy and alkaline.

The Southwest region of the U.S. meets all the criteria for being a prime area for Valley Fever. The fungus gets into air from wind, dust storms and digging. People may get sick if they breathe in the fungus, but the disease is not contagious.

On Sunday, at the culmination of the seventh annual Valley Fever Week, a medical team at the University of Arizona’s Valley Fever Center for Excellence held a three-hour seminar on the disease, its symptoms and treatments.

Most in the audience of about 90, or their spouses, had Valley Fever. It’s the cause of one-third of pneumonias in this area and many cases last weeks to months. About 30 Arizonans die each year from the disease.

Fungal geneticist Marc Ohrbach of UA’s School of Plant Sciences told the audience that the disease is caused by a fungus, not a bacteria or a virus.

“Most people get a mild form but it can have serious consequences... the coccidioides can become parasitic in the lungs,” he said, and more than humans, it can affect dogs, cats and domestic livestock.

Ohrbach called Valley Fever “seriously underrated,” and said 30 percent of commonly acquired pneumonia cases are actually Valley Fever.

People more likely to get seriously ill from the fungal disease are African-Americans and Filipinos, pregnant women, those with HIV, AIDS, cancer, diabetes and those who have had organ or bone marrow transplants.

Those who work in construction or agriculture are at most risk due to their exposure to soil and dust.

Dr. John Galgiani, director of the Valley Fever Center for Excellence, said there is no easy way to kill the spores but people should limit their exposure to dust.

“Education is what we need to do... the Arizona Department of Tourism wouldn’t want us talking about this, but I feel the opposite.

“Outside the lungs, Valley Fever can affect the skin, bones, joints, central nervous system, soft tissue and visceral organs... They may require medical treatment for a very long time, or their lifetime,” Galgiani said.

Why surgery

Some who acquire Valley Fever may develop nodules in the lungs, and even with CT and PET scans it may be impossible to tell if the nodule is due to Valley Fever or is a cancerous lesion, said thoracic surgeon Dr. Shari Meyerson.

She described severe symptoms as fatigue, coughing up blood, weight loss, chest pain, rashes, and joint and muscle aches. Valley Fever may require months of medications before there is improvement.

Statistically, Valley Fever usually lasts six months, however, according to a phone survey in 2007, of 10 percent of reported cases, 75 percent were ill for one month or longer, 25 percent needed 10 or more doctor visits, 40 percent were hospitalized, and in 2007 the hospital costs were $86 million.

Getting the word out

Galgiani said the purpose of the Valley Fever Center for Excellence at UA is to increase understanding, improve patient care, assist clinical research, have better diagnostics, and develop new drugs and vaccines.

Many people who have Valley Fever don’t need treatment because their body can fight the disease. Doctors may treat seriously ill people with anti-fungal drugs.

“Complications may be prevented by discovering the infection with early treatment vs. waiting for complications and then treating it.”

For further information, contact the Valley Fever Center for Excellence at 520-629-4777 or www.vfce.arizona.edu.

Contact Green Valley freelance reporter Ellen Sussman at ellen2414@cox.net.