Health issues faced by incarcerated individuals at Wasco State Prison highlight systemic failures in the prison medical system. Symptoms of valley fever were ignored for weeks, despite clear indicators of the disease. The presence of prisons in California's Central Valley, a region known for toxic air and high valley fever infection rates, complicates the health outcomes for incarcerated populations. Disproportionate diagnosis rates affect marginalized communities, particularly Black, Asian, and Latinx individuals. Since 2005, 4,000 cases and at least 53 deaths due to valley fever emphasize the urgent need for medical attention and systemic change.
My symptoms worsened. My face swelled. My breathing became labored, and I had to be rushed to an outside hospital. I lost 25 pounds in two weeks and feared I wouldn't survive to see my family again.
It shouldn't have taken that long. I now have to take lifelong medication for a disease I knew I had but was ignored.
What happened to me is part of a larger story, with deeper roots that trace back to the siting of prisons on drought-damaged, devalued land during California's prison-building boom of the 1980s and 90s.
Since 2005, 4,000 imprisoned people in California have been diagnosed with Valley Fever, causing at least 53 deaths.
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