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Lawsuits over Valley fever pile up against California’s prison system

July 28, 2014
When Jeremy Romo was packed off to prison in 2012 for illegal possession of a firearm, he says he was as healthy as anyone, a construction worker who ran three miles each weekday and five miles on weekends. By the time he was released in July 2013, the 34-year-old Manteca man says he had become a...

Valley fever: A potential serious health risk from Phoenix ‘haboob’

July 27, 2014
A massive dust storm, or in Arabic “haboob”, some 3,000 feet tall and 30 miles wide hit Phoenix, Arizona Friday forcing a ground stop at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and leaving 12,000 people without power.  Now health officials will be on the look out for the...

Test inmates for immunity to deadly Valley fever, experts say

July 25, 2014
Federal experts are recommending that California test inmates for immunity to Valley fever before incarcerating them at two central San Joaquin Valley state prisons where the disease has killed nearly three dozen inmates, according to a report obtained Friday by The Associated Press. A federal...

Valley Fever: The Increased Dangers Of Desert Dust

July 23, 2014
The rapid rise in valley fever cases in the arid southwest has become a serious health concern, as human habitation has pushed further into desert areas where the soil spores are widespread. Currently, Valley Fever affects an estimated 150,000 people a year, with most cases occurring in Arizona,...

Woman fighting valley fever: 'my life has been on hold'

July 22, 2014
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) - Shannon Smotherman wants to share her experience with valley fever, raising awareness of the serious disease. She started to have symptoms of valley fever in December 2013 but tested negative several times. She visited the doctor several times but was...

'First Look': Walk to bring awareness to valley fever

July 22, 2014
By THE BAKERSFIELD CALIFORNIAN Valley fever is an orphan disease, one that does not get a lot of research money. It can change your life forever. "It's a bad disease, worse than people think and you'll be on drugs for the rest of your life," said Paula Einstein, a valley...

Dangers of desert dust: new diagnostic tool for valley fever

July 22, 2014
On July 5, 2011, a massive wall of dust blanketed Phoenix, creating an awesome spectacle – or stubborn nuisance, depending on your perspective. Dust storms are a common occurrence in the arid desert environments of the American Southwest. But windborne dust can be a serious health risk,...

Student-led research could lead to faster valley fever diagnosis

July 22, 2014
Graduate student Krupa Navalkar discusses her research that aims to advance valley fever detection. Navalkar says valley fever can hard to diagnose because its symptoms can be hard to distinguish from pneumonia or influenza. "Part of the reason I was extremely interested in working on...

Local Valley fever research to be published in scientific journal

July 17, 2014
Researchers at UC Merced and UCSF-Fresno recently completed a literature review on Valley Fever, scheduled to be published later this month in the scientific journal “Microbes and Infection.” “Valley Fever: Danger Lurking in a Dust Cloud” is a 34-page article that gathers...

Fungal disease ‘Valley Fever’ proves tricky to diagnose

July 6, 2014
  Transcript: VALERIE GOROSPE: It was the very first weekend of May and she woke up from her sleep just not feeling good and then she was just really tired and she had a cough that wouldn’t go away. Finally, there was a doctor that said this isn’t pneumonia. But he knew just by...

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