"Valley Fever" is epidemic in Arizona and cannot be ignored

"Valley Fever" is epidemic in Arizona and cannot be ignored (Alberta Times) Valley fever cases are raging in Arizona, and the University of Arizona School of Medicine adds...

"Valley Fever" is epidemic in Arizona and cannot be ignored (Alberta Times) Valley fever cases are raging in Arizona, said Dr. Galliano of the University of Arizona School of Medicine. Dr. Galliano explained that cases of valley fever have increased since the Great Dust Bowl in July. The disease, which is similar to the flu and causes a fever, is blamed on the infection, a type of fungal spore that comes from the Sonoran Desert. The medical name for valley fever is coccidioidomycosis. Infected individuals often develop pneumonia. It is said that 100,000 people in the state are infected with valley fever every year, and most of them go untreated or are misdiagnosed. Minahan, a retired Paradise Valley businessman, contracted Valley Fever in 2009. His temperature rose to 104 degrees and he was bedridden for nine months. After recovering from the illness, Minahan collaborated with Dr. Galliano to establish the Valley Fever Center, which will be located at St. Joseph Hospital and will be officially operational in January next year.