Public health experts in California are warning of a growing threat, concentrated in the San Joaquin Valley but spreading farther into the state. That threat is coccidioides, a fungus that is primarily found in the southwest and western parts of the country.
The number of cases reported to the state health department from January to June are about 60% higher than in the same time period the last two years, from around 3,500 in 2022 and 2023 to 5,500 this year.
Royce Johnson, medical director of the Valley Fever Institute, states, "While year-to-year fluctuations can be greatly influenced by the weather, I think the increase over time is based on climate, i.e. global warming. Climate change is making the situation worse."
In a paper published in 2019, researchers estimate that by 2100, the area affected by Valley fever will more than double and the number of people who become sick will increase by 50%, using a climate model mimicking a high warming scenario.
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