Disease Information
Valley fever, also called coccidioidomycosis, is an infection caused by the fungus
Coccidioides. The fungus is known to live in the soil in the southwestern United States and parts of Mexico and Central and South America. The fungus was also recently found in south-central Washington.
People can get Valley fever by breathing in the microscopic fungal spores from the air, although most people who breathe in the spores don’t get sick.
Usually, people who get sick with Valley fever will get better on their own within weeks to months, but some people will need antifungal medication.
Certain groups of people are at higher risk for becoming severely ill. It is difficult to prevent exposure to
Coccidioides in areas where it’s common in the environment, but people who are at higher risk for severe Valley fever should try to avoid breathing in large amounts of dust if they’re in these areas.
Among animals, coccidioidomycosis is common in dogs, which have a spectrum of illness similar to humans. Cases have also been reported in llamas, nonhuman primates, cats, horses, a wide variety of other domesticated or wild mammals, and a few reptiles such as snakes.
Disease Reporting
All coccidioidomycosis infections are reportable within
one working day. Please contact the on-call state epidemiologist at 971-673-1111 regarding any suspect cases.
Coccidioidomycosis is an emerging infection in Oregon and the greater Pacific Northwest region (Washington and Oregon) and is being closely monitored by the Oregon Public Health Division's Emerging Infection Program.
Case definition and specimen testing
Data
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