Valley fever outbreak at California music festival shows fungus' threat

Cases of Valley fever have been climbing in California. An outbreak among attendees at a music festival highlights the fungal infection’s mounting threat.

An outbreak of Valley fever among attendees and workers at an outdoor music festival in California’s Central Valley highlights the fungal infection’s mounting threat.

Fourteen people who traveled to attend or work at the Lightning in a Bottle Festival in Bakersfield in May have tested positive for Valley fever and developed symptoms, the California Department of Public Health told NBC News on Thursday. At least three of them were hospitalized. 

“About a week after getting back from the festival, I just got hit with crazy body aches and crazy fevers,” said Eric Mattson, 33, a musician in San Luis Obispo, who said he attended the festival this year. He tested positive for Valley fever last month. 

His symptoms progressed to joint pain that made it difficult to move, accompanied by night sweats, Mattson said: “I would wake up, like, two to three times a night, just soaking in sweat. I would have to change my bedding and change my pajamas while in a ton of pain. It was pretty awful.”

The fungus that causes Valley fever, called coccidioides, thrives in hot, dry climates, so most cases are found in Arizona and California. As climate change creates more opportunities for it to proliferate, Valley fever cases have been climbing in California.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/valley-fever-california-music-festival-fungus-rcna165388

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