Wind-borne valley fever underreported in New Mexico

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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.

Minnick, New Mexico Department of Health regional public information

officer, said the department is launching a program to teach medical providers

to test for and treat the disease. He said health care providers from around the

state — including Carlsbad and Eddy County — are being invited to attend a

training seminar in Las Cruces.

" We have scheduled a training session for the 24th of this month in Las Cruces.

We are bringing in experts from Arizona. They are leading the charge, " Minnick

said. " They are familiar with the disease. Last year, Arizona reported more than

10,000 cases to New Mexico's 40 to 60 cases each year. "

Dulin, New Mexico Office of Border Health director, said for health care

providers in the region unable to attend the training session, the department is

looking at alternatives to get them the information and training.

" We know that for a lot of health care providers like those in Carlsbad, driving

to Las Cruces for the training is time consuming, " Dulin said. " Many

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physicians are understaffed and overworked. They just can't leave their

practice. So, we are looking at the possibility of filming the whole training

session. Then we can either go to the community and show the film to the

physicians or offer it to them through our website as a self-run web-based

training. That's what they do in Arizona and we think it can be done in New

Mexico. "

Dulin said Arizona recognized the problem in the early 1990s and began to

address it to where physician's now what to look for, test patients and treat

them accordingly.

" That's why Arizona had about 10,000 cases last year to our 40 to 60 reported

cases, " he said, noting that the symptoms Valley Fever often mirror flu-like

systems and patients often fail to receive the needed antifungal medication.

Dulin added that New Mexico's health officials have been long aware of Valley

Fever, but fell short of getting the information out to the medical community in

how to spot the disease, test for it and treat it.

" We are becoming proactive now. There have been so few cases reported and we

know there are more cases out there. That's why we have turned to Arizona. They

have been successful in getting the word out to physicians. The numbers of

reported Valley Fever cases last year prove that. "

Smelser said he expects the number of Valley Fever cases reported in New Mexico

will likely increase once more medical providers start testing for the disease.

Minnick said because of the state's lack of good data, it is difficult to

determine in what part of the state disease is prevalent.

" Valley Fever is native to the Chihuahuan Desert, but the fungus spores can

travel hundreds of miles west to east. It's possible that there could be cases

of the disease in Carlsbad, but we don't have the data to support that. "

According to the renowned Mayor Clinic's website, Valley Fever can cause fever

and chest pain, among other signs and symptoms. Other symptoms include possible

pneumonia, encephalitis, skin rashes and tumors.

The cooccidioides species of fungi that cause Valley Fevers are commonly found

in the soil in certain areas. These fungi can be stirred into the air by

anything that disrupts the soil such as high wind, farming and construction

activity. The fungi can then be breathed into the lungs and cause Valley Fevers.

Mild cases of the disease usually go away on their own. In more severe cases,

doctors prescribe antifungal medications that can treat the underlying

infection.

Physicians and others in the medical community interested in the upcoming Valley

Fever training in Las Cruces by health officials from Arizona can access the

information at www.nmborderhealth.org