Valley fever continues to rise in Arizona

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Valley fever continues to rise in Arizona

http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=4135904 & nav=HMO6

PHOENIX Valley fever infections continue to climb in Arizona.

Health officials say half of all cases in the country are now being

contracted in Maricopa County.

Researchers are still trying to figure out why the number of cases

keeps growing.

This year, 33-hundred cases of the airborne fungal disease are

expected to be reported, compared to less than one-thousand annually

during the 1990s.

An epidemiologist with Arizona Department of Health Services says

next to the flu and sexually transmitted diseases, Valley fever is

the most commonly reported infectious disease in Arizona.

Valley fever is caused by a fungus in desert soil.

When dirt is kicked up by digging or from wind, construction or dust

storms _ the fungus releases spores that, when inhaled, can lead to

infection.

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On the Net:

Valley Fever Center for Excellence: http://www.vfce.arizona.edu