Sonoran Living Health Spotlight: Valley Fever
Channel: AZ Bio
Date: 17/06/2022

Living in Arizona, you probably know someone who has contracted Valley Fever. 

Valley Fever is uncommon and considered an orphan disease nationally.  But it’s not as uncommon in Arizona.  Two-thirds of all U.S. Valley Fever infections are contracted in our state.

Valley Fever is primarily a disease of the lungs caused by the inhalation of airborne particles of the fungus Coccidioides [coc-cid-ee-o-dies] or cocci for short, which is found in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.  It affects people, livestock and pets.  

Most people who contract Valley Fever have no symptoms or only very mild flu-like symptoms and do not see a doctor. When symptoms are present, the most common are fatigue, cough, fever, profuse sweating at night, loss of appetite, chest pain, generalized muscle and joint aches particularly of the ankles and knees. There may also be a rash that resembles measles or hives but develops more often as tender red bumps on the shins or forearms.  But for others, the disease can become very serious and, in some cases, life threatening.

Since 1996, The Valley Fever Center of Excellence at the University of Arizona has been working to learn more about this disease and to develop new treatments for Valley Fever. Its mission  is to mobilize resources for the eradication of Valley Fever through the development of public awareness and education about Valley Fever, the promotion of high quality care for patients with Valley Fever, and to research all aspects of Coccidioides and the diseases that it causes.

Arizonans are working together to help support this important research. Each time we pay sales tax in Arizona, a small amount is invested into TRIF, the Technology & Research Initiative Fund. Part of Education 2000 (Prop. 301), TRIF investments in Arizona’s universities support the people and research projects that benefit Arizonans.

Now, a new project funded by the Arizona Board of Regents and your TRIF investment in research and innovation has all of our universities working together to map out where Cocci is hiding in our soil so we can develop ways to contain it so less people and pets get sick.
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The Arizona Bioindustry Association (AZBio) is committed to make Arizona the place where lifesaving and life changing health innovations are discovered, developed, and delivered for the patients that need them. 

Throughout 2022, Sonoran Living fans will have the opportunity to learn about the Arizona life science innovators who are working to make life better for all of us.   To learn more about Arizona Health Innovations, visit https://www.AZBio.org/AZAdvances  

Sonoran Living Health Innovation Spotlights are paid for by AZBio.