Valley Fever Awareness Week 2009 is here!

Schedule of Events: Sunday November 1, 2009, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM VALLEY FEVER ALLIANCE WALK University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix 550 E. Van Buren Street, Phoenix AZ Thursday November 12, 2009, 12:00 - 1:00 PM Medical Mycoses from the Soil: Why Dirt Dwellers Kill Humans Fourteenth Annual Farness Lecture - MCB/CBA Seminar series Arturo Casadevall, M.D. Ph.D., Chair, Dept of Microbiology & Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine University of Arizona BIO5 Institute, Room 103 1657 E. Helen Street, Tucson Saturday November 14, 2009, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM Coccidioidomycosis for Primary Care Physicians: Half-Day Course for CME Neil Ampel, M.D., Janis Blair, M.D., Rebecca Sunenshine, M.D. University of Arizona BIO5 Institute, Room 103 1657 E. Helen Street, Tucson AZ Sunday November 15, 2009, 1:00 - 4:00 PM 2nd Annual Learn About Valley Fever - Ask the Doctor Your Questions Rod Adam, M.D., John Galgiani, M.D., Shari Meyerson, M.D., Marc Orbach, Ph.D. University of Arizona BIO5 Institute, Room 103 1657 E. Helen Street, Tucson AZ Coccidioidomycosis Study Group 54th Annual Meeting, March 27, 2010  Surprise City Hall Council Chambers 16000 N. Civic Center Drive, Surprise, AZ For more information call (520) 626-6517 or email vfever@email.arizona.edu

Valley Fever Week Activities!      Click here to sign up for this year's "Learn about Valley Fever" event on November 15, 2009 Register here for the FREE 11/14/09 Coccidioidomycosis CME Course for Primary Care Practitioners View the 2009 Valley Fever Awareness week Proclamation from the Arizona Governor's Office: Track our fundraising progress for the Valley Fever Corridor Project! Physician & Professional Information View our Tutorial for Physicians and Primary Care Professionals

Valley Fever Education Pushed, 17 November 2009, article from the Green Valley News and Sun.

- KJZZ, NPR radio program Here and Now, Steve Goldstein interviews Dr. John Galgiani about the effects of Valley Fever in humans and    pets in Arizona, 17 November 2009 (please be advised; Dr. Galgiani’s interview is not the 1st, but the 3rd interview in this radio program).

- Watch Dr. John Galgiani on Horizon Thursday, October 29 on KAET-TV.

- Valley Fever coverage on ABC TV.

- Phoenix event aims at curing Valley Fever!

- Federal Study Reveals Cause for Higher Rate of Valley Fever.

- After 46 years in the nursing field, the instinct to make a difference lives on in retired Arizona nurse.

- Profile on professional athletes coping with the effects of Valley Fever.

- Retired nurse, 81, raising awareness about Valley Fever.

- See the June 8, 2009 editorial in the Arizona Republic about the "mystery disease" affecting a Major League Baseball player.

Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis) is primarily a disease of the lungs that is common in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It is caused by the fungus Coccidioides sp., which grows in soils in areas of low rainfall, high summer temperatures, and moderate winter temperatures. These fungal spores become airborne when the soil is disturbed by winds, construction, farming and other activities.

Valley Fever infections are more likely to occur during certain seasons. In Arizona, the highest prevalence of infections occurs June through July and from October through November. In California, the risk of infection is highest from June through November, without the late summer break.

It is estimated that there are about 150,000 infections in the southwestern U.S. each year. Approximately one-third of these results in a self-limited, although often protracted, respiratory illness. However, in a small percentage the illness is more serious and potentially lethal.

Click image for larger map

In susceptible people and animals, infection occurs when a spore is inhaled. Within the lung, the spore changes into a larger, multicellular structure called a spherule. The spherule grows and bursts, releasing endospores which develop into spherules. Valley Fever symptoms generally occur within three weeks of exposure. Valley Fever is not a" contagious" disease, meaning it is not passed from person to person. Second infections are rare.

Many domestic and native animals are susceptible to the disease, including dogs, horses, cattle, sheep, burros, coyotes, rodents, bats and snakes.

 

Valley Fever Center for Excellence, 1656 E. Mabel St. P.O. Box 245215, Tucson, Arizona 85724
HOTLINE (520) 626-6517, FAX (520) 626-4971
EMAIL vfever@email.arizona.edu
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