Valley fever upended my life for years. Now, cases are on the rise across California | Opinion

On one unusually windy summer day in Bakersfield six years ago, I contracted Valley fever, triggering a months-long battle that devastated my physical and mental health.

Valley fever, known scientifically as Coccidioidomycosis (or “Cocci” for short), occurs when microscopic fungal spores endemic to the soil in the southwestern U.S. are inhaled. While 60% of those who breathe in a Cocci spore don’t become infected, many — like myself — are not so lucky. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly 10% of Valley fever cases lead to long-term lung damage, while the most extreme cases (about 1%) cause meningitis and even death.

Growing up in Bakersfield, where the fungus is native, I was often warned about the dangers of Valley fever. It wasn’t until I became infected during one of my visits home from college that I learned firsthand just how severe the disease could be.

I can vividly recall its onset: one second I felt perfectly healthy, and the next it was hard to breathe. I felt dizzy, and everything became distorted, surreal and dreamlike, as if someone had simultaneously dimmed the lights and made everything brighter. Over the next few days, my health declined as I developed a high fever, dry cough and extreme fatigue. X-rays showed a nodule on my left lung that had grown to a considerable size, indicating Valley fever.

A few weeks later, I was back at UC Davis and still struggling with acute infection. Noting that rest alone was not helping me get better, my new internist started me on fluconazole, an antifungal medication used to treat more severe cases. The fluconazole was slow to fight off the infection, and it took months for the X-rays to signify any change or for the blood work to even officially diagnose Valley fever (it is notoriously difficult to show up on serological tests).

Through it all, I could never catch a full breath or feel totally rested, and I spent the academic quarter struggling through extreme brain fog, constant migraines, insomnia, uncontrollable panic due to health anxiety and racing thoughts. This went on for about four months, until the illness thankfully started to subside and my lung X-rays showed signs of improvement.

The subsequent mental toll and fatigue, however, took years to alleviate.

I’m heartened by the many efforts on the local, state and federal levels to cure and better understand this challenging disease. However, researchers and public officials are in an unfair race against a rapidly expanding and evolving illness that currently has no vaccine. Cases of Valley fever have increased nearly five times over the past 20 years, with incidences consistently being highest in Kern and Fresno counties. This upsurge of disease is worrisome due to its heavy burden on our public health system, economy and, of course, California residents who lose days, months or even years to recovery and can be saddled with thousands of dollars of hospitalization fees.

Even more concerning is that our defenses against Cocci are waning, with all antifungal medications like fluconazole steadily losing effectiveness against fungi due to antimicrobial resistance.

The fungus is also steadily expanding its territory. Walking into a Davis internist’s office with Valley fever even six years ago felt quite rare. Now, scientists are finding an increasing number of cases in Northern California as temperatures continue to rise. Drastic oscillation between drought and heavy rainfall seemingly creates a favorable environment for the fungus to spread, while increasingly erratic winds and dust storms further disperse the spores throughout the state.

A study published last year estimates that the extreme swing from drought to rain between 2012–15 caused thousands of excess cases across California. This trend is likely to continue, with scientific modeling predicting that Valley fever’s range will double and cases will increase by 50% by year 2100.

Given that California just experienced the perfect storm of extreme drought in 2020–22 followed by atmospheric rivers across the state, health officials are bracing for an upsurge of Valley fever infections this fall. With no surefire way to eliminate exposure to Cocci and with researchers still working on a cure, it’s up to us both individually and as communities to be cautious and knowledgeable about this disease.

I would never wish my experience on anyone, and I urge my fellow Californians to take prevention into your own hands by avoiding being outside on windy or dusty days and wearing an N-95 mask if needed. If you have a respiratory illness lasting longer than 10 days, ask your doctor for a chest X-ray and a Valley fever test.

I shudder to imagine how much worse my sickness would have been if I hadn’t immediately started treatment. Take it from me: a proactive response can make all the difference for your long-term health and can prevent a horrible experience from turning life-altering or deadly.