A Valley disease outbreak has been reported following an exterior music festival that took place near Bakersfield, California, at the end of May.
In a press release by the California Department of Public Health ( CDPH), California authorities warned that many people who attended the outdoor music festival, Lightning in a Bottle, have contracted Valley disease, also known as coccidioidomycosis.
The press release stated,” To time, CDPH has identified five people with Valley disease who attended the festival, three were hospitalized. More instances involving presence at the backyard festival are possible.
The CDPH noted that over 20, 000 people attended the event from May 22 to Does 27 at Buena Vista Lake, California.
Valley fever is defined as” a lung infection brought on by breathing in spores from the fungus, coccidioides,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ). Coccidioides can be found in the ground in portions of Washington position and parts of the southwest of the country, according to the CDC.
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The CDPH stated in a new press release that “CDPH advises that people who visit Kern County and are experiencing respiratory disease symptoms that have not improved or last longer than a week should attend a medical provider and inquire about potential Valley disease.”
The CDPH noted that signs of Valley disease include cough, difficulty breathing, fever, weakness, and stomach problems.
The event may have already gone away, and moderate cases of Valley illness may have already gone away, but other individuals may still have signs of more serious or long-term illness.
Tom Langdon Hill, the CCHS Foundation’s director of education in Tucson, Arizona, told Fox News it is “desperately hard” to determine where people may be exposed to Valley disease. He added,” Nonetheless, the pandemic tied to the outside music event, Lightning in a Bottle, happened in an area now known as a Valley fever hub, with 34 incidents tallied in 2022 only”.
According to the CDC, the majority of people exposed to coccidioides do not show symptoms, but approximately 40 % of people will experience respiratory symptoms and between 5 % and 10 % of people will experience complications, including serious lung issues. Valley disease is not spread from contact with other people or species, according to the CDC’s website.
The CDPH’s site shows that the number of reported Valley fever situations tripled from 2014-2018, with anywhere from 7, 000 to 9, 000 cases reported each year.
