Re: Wind-borne valley fever underreported in New Mexico

[Guest guest]

My Dr Berkson in Las Cruces, told me everyone who moves to S NM gets Valley

fever, their immune system justs fends it off. He says the people to watch are

diabetics, that the mold loves the sweet blood.

>

> Wind-borne valley fever underreported in New Mexico

>

> From the Current-Argus

>

> Posted: 05/10/2010 09:32:48 PM MDT

>

> http://www.currentargus.com/ci_15058297

>

> By Stella

> Current-Argus Staff Writer

>

> CARLSBAD — A disease known as valley fever is prevalent in neighboring states,

but believed to be underreported in New Mexico, so state health officials are

launching a new initiative aimed at finding more cases of the illness.

>

> Dr. Chad Smelser, state epidemiologist, said recent assessments have shown

that a fungus called coccidioides is prevalent in Chihuahuan desert soil and is

spread by wind storms.

>

[Guest guest]

That's not true. The infection rate is 3% a year. They've done studies. Even in

the hotspots in AZ. Not everybody gets it. And though diabetics are vulnerable,

sometimes perfectly healthy people get very ill from it. It's good NM is looking

at their infection rate and Texas should too but they don't even report it.

> >

> > Wind-borne valley fever underreported in New Mexico

> >

> > From the Current-Argus

> >

> > Posted: 05/10/2010 09:32:48 PM MDT

> >

> > http://www.currentargus.com/ci_15058297

> >

> > By Stella

> > Current-Argus Staff Writer

> >

> > CARLSBAD — A disease known as valley fever is prevalent in neighboring

states, but believed to be underreported in New Mexico, so state health

officials are launching a new initiative aimed at finding more cases of the

illness.

> >

> > Dr. Chad Smelser, state epidemiologist, said recent assessments have shown

that a fungus called coccidioides is prevalent in Chihuahuan desert soil and is

spread by wind storms.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Here is a very useful color coded map on incidence and other details about VF

from AZ in 2008. You will see that there are highly endemic areas (cases per

100,000) and others not so endemic.

http://www.azdhs.gov/phs/oids/epi/pdf/may_2008.pdf

New Mexico is likely to turn out the same (southern NM). If you live in a

hotzone obviously your chances of getting it are higher. Therefore, for Dr.

Berkson to say everybody gets it and their immune systems control it except for

diabetics, is careless and wrong imo. That would give a false sense of security.

In fact though diabetes is a known risk factor, so is age, and whether you are

filipino, black or hispanic (they get worse cases).

I don't believe Conor (a sports star in his 20's) is diabetic or has any

known risk factors but he was benched most of the year because of a severe case

of VF.

I also am not sure that diabetics get worse cases because of high blood sugar. I

thought most diabetics controlled their blood sugar rigorously. But in any case,

the surges of sugar and inuslin that are not that constant, wreak havoc on the

lining of blood vessels throughout the body, and on the immune system. Diabetics

have poor wound healing, more infections generally, from what I know. I wonder

if that's why they are more vulnerable.

For any moldie, who has a compromised immune system from mold and chemicals, it

is a concern. Especially for any moldie with a history of lung issues, such as

asthma or COPD or any compromised lung function or chronic inflammation. Because

VF usually manifests, when symptomatic, as a pneumonia. I've asked many medical

professionals in the southwest about it.

The only two things I can conclude from Dr. Berkson's statements are:

1) Because he sees diabetics as a major part of his practice, he has seen a few

with VF and that has skewed his view of risk

2) He's not studied any of the incidence maps, nor talked to the VF Center for

Excellence and the MD there, Galgiani, to get a true picture of risk and is

misleading his patients which is careless.

[Guest guest]

Unless they are testing everyone, all the time, how do they know what the

infection rate is? Everything I have read about it says that the majority of

people who get it show no symptoms and never go to the Dr for it, so how can

anyone know the infection rate? And if Drs in NM are not trained to spot it and

do not report it, how can anyone purport to know if 3% or 33% of the population

gets infected? I certainly would agree ,based on what is said about our illness,

that only immunocompromised people get it, that this could also fit other

illnesses, that even healthy people get it. But Dr Berkson says he has diagnosed

abut 30 people over the past 10 years and they where diabetic. .

> > >

> > > Wind-borne valley fever underreported in New Mexico

> > >

> > > From the Current-Argus

> > >

> > > Posted: 05/10/2010 09:32:48 PM MDT

> > >

> > > http://www.currentargus.com/ci_15058297

> > >

> > > By Stella

> > > Current-Argus Staff Writer

> > >

> > > CARLSBAD — A disease known as valley fever is prevalent in neighboring

states, but believed to be underreported in New Mexico, so state health

officials are launching a new initiative aimed at finding more cases of the

illness.

> > >

> > > Dr. Chad Smelser, state epidemiologist, said recent assessments have shown

that a fungus called coccidioides is prevalent in Chihuahuan desert soil and is

spread by wind storms.

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Unless they are testing everyone, all the time, how do they know what the

infection rate is? Everything I have read about it says that the majority of

people who get it show no symptoms and never go to the Dr for it, so how can

anyone know the infection rate? And if Drs in NM are not trained to spot it and

do not report it, how can anyone purport to know if 3% or 33% of the population

gets infected? I certainly would agree ,based on what is said about our illness,

that only immunocompromised people get it, that this could also fit other

illnesses, that even healthy people get it. But Dr Berkson says he has diagnosed

abut 30 people over the past 10 years and they where diabetic. .

> > >

> > > Wind-borne valley fever underreported in New Mexico

> > >

> > > From the Current-Argus

> > >

> > > Posted: 05/10/2010 09:32:48 PM MDT

> > >

> > > http://www.currentargus.com/ci_15058297

> > >

>

[Guest guest]

In scientific studied, , robustness of data is determined by " n " , to some

extent. With a sufficient " n " ie sample size you can draw fairly good inferences

and conclusions. They test by antibody test of random sampling in some studies

of hotpots and they also look at reported cases in hotspots and since they know

60% are mild or asymptomatic and thus don't get reported they can infer by those

who do go to the doctor.

Berkson reports diabetic cases because they're a high risk population and he

happens to treat them as one of his specialties. He's not a family practitioner

or a pulmonogist so he won't see most cases.

>

> Unless they are testing everyone, all the time, how do they know what the

infection rate is? Everything I have read about it says that the majority of

people who get it show no symptoms and never go to the Dr for it, so how can

anyone know the infection rate? And if Drs in NM are not trained to spot it and

do not report it, how can anyone purport to know if 3% or 33% of the population

gets infected? I certainly would agree ,based on what is said about our illness,

that only immunocompromised people get it, that this could also fit other

illnesses, that even healthy people get it. But Dr Berkson says he has diagnosed

abut 30 people over the past 10 years and they where diabetic. .

>

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