Thousands of Californians contract valley fever each year, and in part because of a inadequate funding, doctors have relatively few options to treat the disease.
Tag: valley fever
Posted inHealth & Wellness, State, Top Stories
Some California Prisons Have Become ‘Petri Dish for Valley Fever’
Inmates in Central Valley prisons are particularly vulnerable because they lack immunity to the potentially deadly disease that is caused by a fungus in the soil.
Posted inCountywide, Health & Wellness, Top Stories
Misdiagnosing Valley Fever Prolongs Suffering of Its Victims
A lack of awareness and timely testing for this potentially deadly disease has had serious consequences for some.
Posted inHealth & Wellness, Top Stories
Valley Fever: The Death Toll Is Rising for the ‘Orphan Disease’
More people are dying from valley fever than previously thought. Elderly and immunosuppressed people are most at risk.
Posted inHealth & Wellness, Top Stories
Valley Fever Cases Increase, Yet Vaccine Remains Elusive
Up to 150,000 people are stricken with the potentially fatal disease each year, yet the government and the pharmaceuticals industry won’t fund research for a vaccine.
Posted inHealth & Wellness, Top Stories
Where Is Federal Funding for Valley Fever?
Research for valley fever remains low on the list of federal funding priorities despite having greater impact than other diseases that receive millions in taxpayer dollars.
Posted inHealth & Wellness, Top Stories
Treatment Costs for Valley Fever Mount for Patients and Taxpayers
Valley fever is epidemic in parts of California. At more than $100,000 for a typical hospital stay, the disease is more costly to treat than any of California’s 25 most common conditions requiring hospitalization.
Posted inHealth & Wellness, Top Stories
Daughter Loses ‘Best Friend’ to Ravages of Valley Fever
Candice Steed’s childhood was shaped by her mother’s losing battle with a disease that has reached epidemic proportions in California.
Posted inCountywide, Investigative, Outdoors, Top Stories
Changing Climate May Expand Valley Fever’s Deadly Impact
As the average temperature ticks up with each passing decade, experts are concerned that cases of the potentially lethal disease will increase rapidly.
Posted inTop Stories
Just One Breath
Valley fever, a disease people contract from breathing fungal spores contained in soil, has reached epidemic proportions in parts of California. Yet it is so little known and misunderstood that people have died without ever having known they had it.
