PHOENIX — Cases of Valley Fever have increased in Arizona since last year, according to the Arizona Department of Health.
As of November of this year, more than 12,000 cases have been reported, which is up from 10,000 cases for the entirety of last year.
Purvi Parikh, M.D., an allergist with the Arizona Medical Association, attributes this uptick to environmental changes in the region.
"The fungus, coccidiomycosis, grows in that type of environment, those conditions, so with the hotter temperatures, the decreased rainfall this year, it's a perfect storm for the increase in cases," Parikh said.
Thomas Grys, Ph.D, director of clinical microbiology at Mayo Clinic Arizona, said anyone can be exposed.
"No matter how long you've lived here, you can be at risk, as long as you are breathing," Grys explained. "It's an infectious disease that we can acquire, but we can't really pass amongst it each other."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, common symptoms of Valley Fever include:
- Fatigue
- Cough
- Fever, headache
- Shortness of breath
- Night sweats
- Muscle aches or joint pain
- Rash on the upper body or legs.
"These are things that you should be looking out for, especially if you're somebody who works outside a lot, especially in the soil or farming or been exposed to dust storms," says Parikh.
Parikh notes certain individuals can face a higher risk of Valley Fever.
"Certain groups, like elderly, pregnant women, people who are immunocompromised, and certain groups of color are interesting at higher risk too, like black people and Filipino people as well," Parikh said.
Both Parikh and Grys recommend wearing a mask when working outdoors and getting tested if symptoms appear.
According to the Valley Fever Center for Excellence at the University of Arizona Health Sciences, most mammals can also be infected.
John Galgiani, M.D. and Founder of the VFCE when it comes to pets "dogs are three to four times more likely to get valley fever in a given year."
Galgiani said dogs can develop a cough and "mope around and look sick" as well as develop respiratory type of symptoms.
However, Galgiani said there is hope on the horizon for dogs.
"The University of Arizona has developed a vaccine for dogs that could be available in veterinary offices by the end of next year," Galgiani said.
Galgiani said the vaccine they've created for dogs was awarded a contract from the National Institutes of Health which could lead to a human vaccine in the future.
"Knowing about and doing something about it is really the best way to manage it," Galgiani said.
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