BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The fungus that causes Valley fever is naturally found in the dirt and soil in Kern County, posing a serious threat to public health. I looked into how this disease spreads, protection methods, and potential connections to wildfires.
"There is definitely concern around it, and there has been some research going on for a couple of years," said Kimberly Hernandez, Division Director of Health Services at the Kern County Public Health Department.
While there's no strong evidence directly linking wildfires to Valley fever spread, Hernandez notes a pattern among wildland firefighters who contract the disease.
"And that appears to be more of a product of the dust-generating, earth-moving procedures that happen, and things like making breaks in fire lines, your digging in the dirt," Hernandez said.
Researchers are also investigating whether wildfire smoke might weaken immune systems, making people more vulnerable to infection.
"And we know that Valley Fever also tends to be sort of an opportunistic infection, and so if your immune system has been lowered, if you had to, for whatever reason, breathe this wildfire smoke, you might not be able to fight off an infection," Hernandez said.
The Valley fever fungus thrives in dry, undisturbed soil and can be picked up and spread by strong winds.
"And that can travel for miles in the air and then when people breathe it in it gets into your lungs and that's where the infection starts," Hernandez said.
According to Hernandez, around 3,000 people in Kern County are diagnosed with Valley fever annually. Key symptoms include fever and a persistent cough lasting more than two weeks.
"The other really tell-tale sign with Valley Fever is a rash," Hernandez said.
In rare cases—about 1%—the infection can spread beyond the lungs, requiring lifelong treatment. However, most people can recover with proper care.
"And so we want people to go to their healthcare provider early so that if they do need treatment, it can get started as soon as possible," Hernandez said.
Health officials recommend staying indoors on dusty, windy days and keeping windows and doors closed to reduce exposure risk.
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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