Presentation description

Valley Fever (VF), Coccidioidomycosis, is an emerging disease caused by the fungus Coccidioides. Infections occur through inhaling fungal spores found within dust or soil. It is common among those who work or spend time outdoors, essentially construction workers, farmers, and firefighters. VF is often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed and can potentially lead to disseminated disease or death without the appropriate treatment. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates there to be tens of thousands as many infections as there are reported cases. There is an urgent need to better characterize patterns of seasonality in VF reported cases to raise awareness among populations at risk of infection. We obtained access to the CDC county-level VF case notification data from 1998 - 2020. We quantified monthly VF cases in seven endemic states including Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington. We evaluated seasonality including peak timing of cases by state. Within the U.S. between 1998 and 2020, 277, 401 cases of VF were reported. Of the 7 known endemic states 273, 056 cases were reported and 96.87% of all cases were reported in Arizona and California. In 2020, we identified biannual peaks in cases, one in December - January and a second in July, in Arizona. We found a single annual peak, from October - November, in California. Our findings highlight that VF risks can vary seasonally. Our results highlight the need to increase awareness of VF risk among vulnerable populations and healthcare providers.