Last week ADHS, alongside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recognized Fungal Disease Awareness Week. The annual event focuses on the growing challenges surrounding the spread of infectious fungi across the United States. While many different types of fungal diseases call Arizona home, one of the most common is Valley fever. Valley fever [...]
A recent press release from CDC highlighted the increasing threat of Candida auris (C. auris) because it is often antimicrobial resistant (available treatments may not work), can cause severe disease, including death, and is spreading among healthcare facilities in the United States. Arizona identified its first clinical case of C. auris in 2020, and there [...]
2020 Grand Prize Winner Valley Fever is rare in most of the country, but not in Arizona. Of the more than 18,400 cases reported nationwide in 2019, more than half, 10,358, were in our state. That’s why, for the fourth year in a row, we’re tapping into the creativity of Arizona kids to [...]
All it takes is one breath. An estimated 150,000 people are infected each year in the U.S. by the fungus that causes valley fever (coccidioidomycosis). The fungus is mostly found in the Southwest with nearly two-thirds of all nationally reported cases residing in Arizona. Arizonans in every county are affected by valley fever year-round. Our newly released annual [...]
The first Fungal Disease Awareness Week is taking place from August 14 through 18. This week was organized by the CDC and partners in order to raise awareness about fungal diseases. Although there are many types of fungal diseases that occur in the U.S., there is one that stands out above the rest in Arizona. [...]
We’re smack dab in the middle of monsoon now, which means it’s time to think about Valley Fever. It’s a lung infection caused by a fungus that lives in the soil in the desert (below 4,000 feet). People get it by breathing in dust that contains fungal spores. Valley Fever causes cough, fever, headache, feeling [...]
Valley Fever typically peaks in late fall and early winter with a minor peak from June to August (refer to the 2007-2011 Valley Fever Report). Those who've been in Arizona for a while may know that Valley Fever is a lung infection caused by a fungus that is common in the soil here. In most cases, [...]
Another AZ monsoon season has come and gone. The seasonal winds blow more than dust in the air, they stir up questions and concerns about Valley Fever. Those who have been in Arizona for a while may know that Valley Fever is a lung infection caused by a fungus that’s common in our desert soil (below [...]
This week's giant dust storm (technically called a haboob) blew through the valley leaving dust hovering in the air for days. The ADEQ said one Phoenix testing station recorded an astronomical reading of over 6,000 micrograms per cubic meter (of PM 10) on Tuesday evening (the federal EPA standard is 150 averaged over a day). PM 10 is a measurement [...]
