Inspire Health Medical Group and UCSF Fresno have partnered to create the Valley Fever Care Center, providing patients with access to long-term follow-up care and monitoring close to home, without a hospital stay.

The Valley Fever Care Center is by appointment only, with a physician referral.

Guideline‑recommended care includes serial complement fixation titers, clinical reassessment, and monitoring for dissemination. Without continuity of care, patients risk serious complications such as chronic pulmonary disease, bone or skin dissemination, and coccidioidal meningitis, which is a lifelong condition.

In Central California, factors such as limited primary‑care access, insurance challenges, migratory agricultural work, and clinician shortages make year‑long follow‑up difficult to sustain.

Valley Fever, also known as Coccidioidomycosis (or cocci for short) is a fungal infection caused by Coccidioides immitis and Coccidioides posadasii. It is endemic to arid regions of the Southwestern United States, particularly California’s southern San Joaquin Valley and Arizona. Each year, an estimated 250,000+ infections occur nationwide, many of which are never formally diagnosed.

 

It is contracted by inhaling spores found in dust when the soil is disturbed. Infection risk increases during dry, windy seasons that follow rainfall, during dust storms and soil disruption, and among individuals performing agricultural or construction work.

 

 

Symptoms include cough, fever, chronic fatigue, and chest pain, often resembling the flu, lasting more than two weeks. Valley Fever is NOT contagious person to person.

Even after initial treatment, the disease can progress without follow-up. Regular monitoring helps detect complications such as chronic lung disease or meningitis. 

 

Anyone can get infected, but certain factors significantly increase the risk of exposure:

• Outdoor Occupations: Construction workers, agricultural/farm workers, wildland firefighters, etc.
• Outdoor Hobbies: Gardening, landscaping, hiking, mountain biking, or attending outdoor events in dusty desert environments.
• Environmental Factors: Living near construction sites, being outside during dust storms, or experiencing recent earthquakes in endemic regions.

 

• Adults 60+ Years Old
• Immunocompromised Individuals: Cancer, HIV/AIDS, Autoimmune Disease(s), Organ Transplant Recipients, those on immunosuppressant medications, diabetics, etc.
• Pregnant Women:  particularly in the third trimester
• Those of African, Filipino, or Native American descent

• When working in areas with a lot of dust, like

  

  construction or excavation sites, wet the soil before disturbing the ground. If this is not possible, wear a fitted N95 respirator.
• Stay inside during dust storms and close your windows.
• When enjoying activities involving contact with soil, like gardening, wet the soil before digging or planting.
• Use air filtration measures indoors.
• When enjoying outdoor activities such as hiking or biking, avoid doing so on windy days in dry, dusty areas. Alternatively, wear a bandana or a facial covering to reduce the risk of inhaling dust.

See your primary care physician and request being tested if you have a cough for 2+ weeks, persistent fever or fatigue, night sweats, recent pneumonia, or work in dusty outdoor environments.

 

If you don’t currently have a primary care physician, Inspire Health Primary Care is currently accepting new patients. Call 559-272-2251 to make an appointment.

Valley Fever often begins with symptoms similar to the flu, including fever, cough, fatigue, and muscle aches. Patients are frequently diagnosed in urgent care or emergency departments. Many improve after a short course of antifungal therapy; however, the disease can silently progress without proper follow‑up.