CA ACR214

Declares August 2022 as Valley Fever Awareness Month in California

Valley Fever (coccidioidomycosis) is a progressive respiratory disease caused by airborne fungi in soil that can spread to the bloodstream, causing meningitis and potentially fatal complications if untreated

California infection rates increased more than 600 percent from 1999 to 2011 (939 to 5,697 cases), with rates rising again to 7,546 cases in 2018, and the disease is often misdiagnosed

Valley Fever disproportionately affects the young, elderly, immunocompromised individuals, and people of African American and Filipino descent, killing 100-200 more Americans annually than tuberculosis

Drought conditions increase exposure risk by bringing fungal spores to the soil surface, and Valley Fever has infected Central Valley prison inmates at epidemic rates