Valley fever cases on the rise in San Luis Obispo County

September 12, 2024

By KAREN VELIE

In the first seven months of 2024, there were 188 confirmed cases of Valley Fever in San Luis Obispo County, as cases of the virus soar in multiple counties. During the same period in 2023, there were 56 cases in SLO County, and in 2022 there were 79 cases, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Recent studies in California show that periods of drought followed by high rain totals, lead to massive blooms of the fungus that causes Valley fever. Kern County currently leads with 2,196 confirmed valley fever cases in the first seven months of 2024. During the same period in 2023, there were 1,214 in Kern County.

Statewide, California reports 6,280 valley fever cases in the first seven month of 2024, with more than a third of all cases in Kern County.

The disease is spread by a fungus that grows naturally in portions of Arizona and California. In the past, most cases of Valley Fever were found in the Central Valley.

Most people who breathe in the spores develop no symptoms at all. Others, about 40 percent, develop flu-like symptoms including cough, congestion, fever, fatigue, body aches and headaches that can last a month or more. Valley Fever can lead to severe pneumonia, meningitis and death.

The Mayo Clinic’s website advises people in areas with the spores to be aware of the symptoms. With treatment at the first sign of symptoms, most people will recover without problems.