United States: The California Department of Public Health is alerting people about a higher risk of Valley fever this fall in the Central Valley and Central Coast regions. This warning follows reports of several people getting sick from Valley fever at a music festival in Kern County last May.
As reported by SFGATE, this particular valley fever is caused by inhaling fungal spores which are found in the soil is a potentially deadly respiratory infection and marked by the symptoms like cough, fever, chest pain and the problems related to the breathing and in some of the very very severe cases and the disease can infect the brain and the cause meningitis or even the death.
Festival-Linked Outbreak
CDPH reports that 19 people came back positive for Valley fever if they attended the Lightning in a Bottle music festival near Bakersfield in mid-May. Out of the eight people, who tested positive for the virus, four were admitted to ICU. It was held at Buena Vista Aquatic Recreational Area toward the Buena Vista Lake on the shore of which is found the farmland and other open space.
The number cases contracted has risen since July when SFGATE was able to confirm that five people contracted Valley fever after attending the festival and thrice admitted to hospitals.
Each month about 30 social media posts or tweets about the festival generated by the organizers and participants attracted more than 20,000 festival-goers.
Rising Case Numbers
CDPH has reported more than 6000 cases of Valley fever in the state till July 31 this year. It is also important to note that Kern County where Lightning in a Bottle took place ranks the highest in terms of Valley fever cases since the time when CDPH started releasing statistics on the disease in 2001.
Until now, almost a third and a third of a total of 1783 cases reported this year were from the county.
The H1N1 flu starts primarily in the central part of the state, but cases have also been spread to areas such as the northern Central Valley and Southern California, according to CDPH.
Prevention Measures
Healthcare providers that are treating patients with respiratory symptoms for a longer period of time should enquire about recent exposure to outdoor dust or travel to areas that are prevalent with the disease, according to CDPH.
Because farmworkers are generally exposed to dirt and dust in areas where the disease is prevalent, the risk of the disease affecting them is high particularly farmworkers in California. CDPH advises the following measures; never open doors and windows when it is windy or dusty, damp the soil before digging and wear an N95 mask when outside in dusty conditions.