It is Valley Fever Awareness Week

Valley Fever has been in the media a lot lately. Part of the reason is because last Saturday we kicked off the 8^th annual Valley Fever Awareness Week in recognition of the outstanding treatment and research conducted by the Valley Fever Center for Excellence as well as the advances in Valley Fever education and public health done here at ADHS. Some recent public health advances by ADHS include the publication of enhanced surveillance of coccidioidomycosis (the scientific name for valley fever) in Arizona, which highlights the effects that valley fever has on Arizonans, healthcare costs, and the economy. This investigation found that persons with valley fever had symptoms for a median of 4 months and missed a median of 2 weeks from work. Hospital charges totaled $86M among Arizona patients who had primary or secondary diagnoses of valley fever in 2007. Persons with valley fever who were aware of the disease were more likely to get an earlier diagnosis of the disease and more likely to ask their doctors to test them for valley fever. These findings warrant the importance of public and provider education of valley fever.

With that being said, in light of Valley Fever Awareness Week, there was a “Learn about Valley Fever – Ask the Doctors your Questions” public forum in Tucson, Saturday, Nov. 6, and a fundraising Walk for Valley Fever in Phoenix, Sunday, Nov. 7, where I attended and spoke. Last year, we had over 200 people and 70 dogs registered for the Walk. Let’s keep supporting education, research and treatment for valley fever! Physicians can obtain free continuing medical education online or in Scottsdale, Saturday, Nov. 13: “Coccidioidomycosis for the Primary Care Physician” and “Advanced Clinical Aspects of Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever)”. For more information, please visit http://www.valleyfeverarizona.org.

About the Author: azdhs-admin

Arlis Jenkins is the Hepatitis C Epidemiology Program Manager at the Arizona Department of Health Services. Her work involves specialized knowledge of state and local jurisdictions, social determinants of health and harm reduction services including drug user health and sex positivity. She is tasked with hepatitis C elimination planning and strategy implementation, a collaborative project that necessitates statewide community engagement and the formation of strategic partnerships to increase access to quality hepatitis C prevention and care services for all Arizonans.

3 Comments

dee brei May 7, 2012 at 1:47 pm

A family member had valley fever in the 1970’s, and my husband has recently been diagnosed with acute valley fever. His chest X-Ray was normal. In 1970, as well as in 2012, the treatment recommended is rest. Dr. also suggests a healthy diet and light exercise. My husband is a golfer and Dr said golf is OK, but I’m not so sure. Playing 9 or18 holes while wheeling his clubs around a huge golf course is not what I consider light exercise. Another problem is the desert dust devils we often have here in Tucson. I know the spores he previously inhaled caused the VF, but still, why expose the lungs to more irritants? We plan on attending a concert this week at our local casino which allows smoking indoors. My radar is up concerning golf and the smoke-filled casino. Do you have any advice or comments regarding my concerns?
- Will Humble May 17, 2012 at 1:14 pm
  
  dee brei,
  The questions you bring up are about personal health and should be discussed with your physician.
pobbmaster January 22, 2013 at 2:07 pm

i agree with will humble it should be disscussed with physician!!!!!

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