House hosts roundtable on Valley Fever

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), co-chairman of the Congressional Valley Fever Task Force, held a Valley Fever roundtable on Wednesday, hosting scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH), doctors, patient advocates, researchers, and Congressional members.

The goal of the roundtable was to update efforts to combat the disease.

“Doctors and scientists taking the lead are working diligently to develop a vaccine, and I’m proud to report that an updated research study is being conducted by NIH, in partnership with Duke University, which will hopefully bring to light new solutions to stamp out Valley Fever,” McCarthy said.

The lung infection is caused by people breathing in microscopic fungal spores released from fungus living in the soil. Most people who breathe in the spores will not get sick.

Annually, approximately 10,000 people in the United States will develop Valley Fever, according to the CDC. For the majority of patients, the illness goes away without treatment in weeks to months.

People with diabetes or weakened immune systems and pregnant women are at risk for becoming severely ill. These patients must be treated with antifungal medication.

The disease is most common in Arizona and California.