Hot, arid conditions linked to global warming are making dust storms more frequent across much of the US, including the Midwest and Pacific Northwest. Dust storms raise emergency room visits and disrupt agricultural economies. Climate scientist Bill McGuire describes dust-driven “fungal storms” where dust particles transport fungal spores. In Africa’s Sahel region, dust-associated fungus and bacteria correlate with bacterial meningitis outbreaks. In the US, dust storms increasingly correlate with Valley Fever, a lung infection caused by Coccidioides spores. A 2017 Geophysical Research Letters paper reported Valley Fever incidents rose by over 800% from 2000 to 2011, and in high-incidence areas dust storms correlated more strongly with disease than any other known controlling factor. Additional research cites abundant evidence that dust storms act as a pathogen vector.
"One 2017 research paper published in Geophysical Research Letters noted that incidents of Valley Fever ballooned by over 800 percent from 2000 to 2011. In two geographical areas with high concentrations of the infection, dust storms where "found to better correlated with the disease than any other known controlling factor.""
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