Several people have contracted valley fever following an outdoor music festival near Bakersfield, California, according to a statement from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).
Valley fever (coccidioidomycosis) is a lung infection caused by inhalation of a soil-borne fungus found in California and parts of the southwestern United States.
So far, five patients who attended the Lightning in a Bottle outdoor music festival have been diagnosed with the infection. Three of them have been hospitalized, the CDPH reported.
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More than 20,000 people attended the festival, which was held May 22-27 at Lake Buena Vista.
More cases could emerge among festival-goers, health officials said.
Several people have contracted valley fever following an outdoor music festival near Bakersfield, California (not pictured). (iStock)
For those who attended the festival or visited Kern County and are experiencing symptoms, CDPH recommends they seek medical attention and seek testing for the infection.
“Although the event occurred two months ago and mild cases of valley fever may have already resolved, other patients with longer or more severe illness may still be symptomatic or undiagnosed,” the CDPH said.
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Tom Langdon Hill, director of training at the CCHS Foundation in Tucson, Arizona, which offers free training on the medical needs of the homeless, said it is “desperately difficult” to predict when and where someone might be exposed to valley fever.
“However, the outbreak linked to the outdoor music festival, Lightning in a Bottle, occurred in an area already known as a Valley Fever hotspot, with 34 deaths recorded in 2022 alone,” Hill told Fox News Digital.
Symptoms typically include cough, fatigue, fever, difficulty breathing, and chest pain. They usually appear within one to three weeks after infection. (iStock)
“Although dust exposure may be the cause of this outbreak, a recently published study indicates that wildfires are another possible source of Valley Fever spread.”
Symptoms and transmission
Most people exposed to the fungus do not become ill, but about 40% will develop respiratory symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Symptoms typically include cough, fatigue, fever, difficulty breathing, and chest pain. They usually appear within one to three weeks after infection.
From 2018 to 2022, California recorded between 7,000 and 9,000 cases of Valley Fever each year.
About 5 to 10 percent of people with Valley fever will develop complications, which can include serious lung problems, the CDC said.
In about 1% of people, disseminated disease may occur, meaning the infection spreads to other parts of the body, such as the skin, joints, bones, or brain.
The infection does not spread from person to person or between people and animals, the CDC said.
Although there is no vaccine yet against Valley fever, three vaccines are currently under development. (iStock)
The prevalence of Valley Fever has increased in California, the health department noted.
Cases tripled between 2014 and 2018. From 2018 to 2022, the state recorded between 7,000 and 9,000 cases per year.
It is found primarily in the San Joaquin Valley and central coast regions.
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Certain areas with high dust exposure are at higher risk. These include locations where construction, archaeological work, agricultural work or military training are taking place, according to the CDC.
Homeless people are also at greater risk, Hill said.
Homeless people are also at greater risk of contracting Valley Fever, experts say. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
“Homeless people spend a lot more time exposed to dust and smoke from wildfires,” Hill told Fox News Digital.
“It is not surprising that people on the street have both higher rates of valley fever and a surprisingly higher rate of fatal complications from the disease.”
Is nationwide spread possible?
Dr. George Thompson, a professor at UC Davis Health and co-director of the Center for Valley Fever in Sacramento, told Fox News Digital in 2023 that there has been an increase in cases in recent years.
“We have seen a gradual increase in cases over the past five years, and more patients are coming to our clinic for diagnosis and treatment,” he said at the time.
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In 2019, a study by Morgan Gorris—published in GeoHealth, a journal focused on environmental and health science research—suggested that climate change could trigger an expansion of Valley Fever into northwestern states including Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota.
“I was skeptical at first,” said Dr. Thompson, of California. “But I’ve recently heard of new cases in Nebraska and even Missouri, so I think it’s within the realm of possibility.”
Certain areas with high dust exposure are at higher risk. These include locations where construction, archaeological work, agricultural work or military training are taking place, according to the CDC. (iStock)
According to the study, cases of Valley Fever are expected to arrive in northern Utah and eastern Colorado by 2035. Gorris, the study’s author, also predicts that the disease will become endemic in Nebraska, southeastern Montana, southern Idaho and South Dakota by 2065, and could arrive in northern Montana and North Dakota by 2095.
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Other research has linked the rise in Valley Fever cases to an increase in dust storms. Another recent GeoHealth study led by Daniel Q. Tong, a scientist and professor at George Mason University in Virginia, found that dust storms in the Southwest increased 240 percent between the 1990s and 2000s, followed by an 800 percent increase in Valley Fever cases between 2001 and 2011.
Treatment and prevention
A blood test sent to a lab can confirm a current or past valley fever infection, and a chest X-ray or CT scan can detect cases of pneumonia, according to the CDC.
Antifungal medications such as fluconazole and itraconazole are commonly used to treat valley fever. (iStock)
Antifungal medications such as fluconazole and itraconazole are commonly used to treat valley fever.
Although there is no vaccine yet against Valley Fever, three vaccines are currently under development, including one that has been successfully tested on dogs.
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The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, recently announced $4.5 million in funding to support research into diagnostics, therapies and vaccines for the disease.
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The CDC notes that certain groups are more vulnerable.
These include people aged 60 and over, people with weakened immune systems due to certain illnesses or medical conditions, pregnant women, people with diabetes; and black or Filipino people.
Certain groups are more vulnerable, including people aged 60 and over or those with weakened immune systems due to certain diseases or health conditions. (iStock)
For people in high-risk groups, doctors recommend avoiding construction sites or areas where the ground is often lifted into the air.
People can also wear an N95 respirator, a high quality type of mask, to minimize exposure in dusty areas.
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Early diagnosis and treatment are important, doctors advise.
Fox News Digital has reached out to CDPH and music festival organizers for comment.
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