BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – California health officials recorded a major spike in valley fever cases during the first quarter of the year, putting the state on track to break records for a second year in a row.
More than 3,000 cases of the fungal disease have been reported statewide this year so far, according to the California Department of Public Health. That’s nearly double the 10-year average and a cause for concern, experts say.
Kern County leads the state with over 900 valley fever infections, a 25% increase over the same time period last year. Cases in Fresno County doubled to 277. The true count is likely higher as milder valley fever cases can resemble other common respiratory illnesses, such as COVID-19 and the flu.
And as more people move to – and visit – the San Joaquin Valley, experts say the valley fever case count is likely to keep increasing. That’s because people new to the region haven’t been exposed to the fungal spores that cause the infection.
“There’s been an influx of people from outside of the Valley into the Valley, and none of that population has any immunity to valley fever,” said Rob Purdie, who is a valley fever patient and founder of the nonprofit MYCARE, or Mycology Advocacy Research and Education. Mycology is the study of fungi, and the organization aims to increase valley fever awareness and research.
He says the fungus - called Coccidioides - is also getting a boost from California’s infamous weather whiplash. The fungus can bloom in wet conditions before going dormant in dry soil – potentially for years. Once disturbed, its spores can travel far and find their way into human lungs, where they incubate and may cause respiratory illness.
“We’re either in a drought or we’re drowning in Central California now, and that weather pattern is very helpful to the valley fever spores,” Purdie said. “It creates the perfect conditions for the fungus to thrive.”
Last May, a Bakersfield music festival became a large cluster for valley fever infections. Kern County health officials reported at least 19 cases in people who attended Lightning in a Bottle.
The event is scheduled to return to Buena Vista Lake this Memorial Day weekend. Organizers say they’re wetting the ground and taking other precautions to limit the spread this year. Kern County Public Health also plans to conduct outreach at the event.
Purdie contends the risk to Valley natives attending the event is low. “We’re already living in it,” he said. But those traveling from out of the area “need to be aware that valley fever is something they can contract being in Central California, Arizona or a number of other places.”
While valley fever typically isn’t fatal – most people clear an infection without even noticing it – the fungus can cause serious complications in up to 10% of patients. If the spores move from the lungs to the brain, for example, they can cause a dangerous form of meningitis.
Healthcare disparities in the Valley can also act as barriers to effective treatment, particularly in pediatric patients. Royce Johnson leads the Valley Fever Institute at Kern Medical and says appointments for infectious diseases are now booked through July.
“There’s an enormous delay in getting care, but that’s not unique to valley fever,” he told KVPR.
There are reasons to be optimistic, however. Attention to the disease is skyrocketing, driven in part by the video game and TV series “The Last of Us,” which uses a different parasitic fungus as the basis for its zombie apocalypse setting.
Separate bills introduced by Valley lawmakers Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains and Senator Melissa Hurtado aim to bring more funding to valley fever research and treatment options. Multiple vaccine candidates are also under development.
And advocates like Purdie say they’re working with federal representatives on both sides of the political aisle to limit potential cuts to valley fever research, as the Trump Administration moves to slash funding for other diseases through the National Institutes of Health.
“I see a lot more interest in [valley fever] today,” he said. “But there’s more that can be done at the state level and at the national level.”
