Valley Fever Outbreak After Lightning in a Bottle Music Festival in California: 19 people are affected

After a six-day outdoor music event in Bakersfield, California, the cases of Valley fever saw a rise. According to the California Department of Public Health, at least 19 people attending or working at the Lightning in a Bottle music festival have contracted Valley fever. To warn the normal citizens, the health department said to be aware. The cases may emerge among all the 20,000 people who went to the music festival. 8 of those 19 affected people have been hospitalized. That music festival continued from 22nd May to 27th May 2024.

What is Valley Fever

Valley fever, also known as coccidioidomycosis, is a lung infection caused by breathing spores of a soil-dwelling fungus. Digging, construction work, gardening or any function that disturbs the soil can increase the risk of this disease.

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Symptoms of Valley Fever

• Feeling tired, having less energy to do daily chores
• Flu-like symptoms like fever, cold, cough
• Sweating in the night becomes common
• As the fever affects the lungs, breathing problems become severe.
• Aches and pain in muscles and joints
• Erythema nodosum is a skin condition that prevails among people affected by Valley fever

However, more than half of the infected people don’t develop any symptoms. According to a report, only around 40% of people experience any kind of respiratory problems. But only 5 to 10% of people tend to develop severe complications. The good news is that this disease is not contagious. It doesn’t spread from human to human or animal to humans. The only method of spread of this fever is through the soil.

When and where do you see a spike in cases

• During late summer and fall, the chances of valley fever increases compared to other seasons.
• During the California wildfires, people become highly susceptible to this fever.
• Besides California, Mexico, etc., climate change is helping in the spread of this fever to northwestern states. Those are South Dakota, North Dakota, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska etc.

Since May 2024, valley fever has been a concern for the public health department of California. Because there is neither any vaccine for this fever nor any new treatments. So, the entire population is vulnerable to the emergence of new resistant strains.