Valley fever cases increase among children

[Guest guest]

Valley fever cases increase among children

Posted at 09:16 PM on Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011

By Barbara / The Fresno Bee Share51

Buzz up!

http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/02/20/2280276/valley-fever-cases-increase-in.html

Counties report more cases of Valley fever

San Joaquin Valley communities are reporting more cases of an illness known

Valley fever, especially among children, and doctors are trying to determine the

cause of the increase.

It's probably not the flu's fault if you're sneezing and coughing. The common

cold and other respiratory viruses are causing the usual wintertime sniffles,

but doctors say influenza has yet to show up in force in the central San Joaquin

Valley.

California's first attempt at making hospital-acquired infection rates available

to the public is of little use to people concerned about catching a deadly bug

during a hospital stay.

Doctors in the central San Joaquin Valley are doing a fairly good job of keeping

people out of hospitals for preventable health problems -- despite a shortage of

doctors, state researchers said Tuesday.

The California Department of Mental Health has notified Fresno County that its

only psychiatric crisis center for children does not meet state guidelines --

and now the county is fighting to keep it open.

A spike in Valley fever cases is hitting children particularly hard in the San

Joaquin Valley, and doctors are not sure why.

Since summer 2010, Children's Hospital Central California has had about 15

children admitted for Valley fever -- and many are still there.

At one point this month, 12 children were in the hospital. The past week, there

were eight.

Normally, Children's has about one or two Valley fever patients in the hospital

at any time, said Dr. Jim McCarty, pediatric infectious disease subspecialist.

" We have never seen anything like this where we have so many patients in the

hospital at one time, " said McCarty, who has been treating children with Valley

fever for about 25 years.

ERIC PAUL ZAMORA / THE FRESNO BEE

Cervantes, 3, stands in his room in mid-play at Children's Hospital

Central California on Wednesday. This is the third visit for who was

diagnosed with Valley fever.

ERIC PAUL ZAMORA / THE FRESNO BEEA catheter is fixed to Cervantes' arm

from which he receives anti-fungal medication to aid in his recovery.

CLICK FOR MORE PHOTOS

PDF: Valley fever cases increase in children

Several children have been recuperating in the hospital for weeks. One patient

who remains hospitalized was admitted Sept. 13, McCarty said.

Of the 15 children at Children's, four were from Kings County. Fresno, Tulare

and Kern counties each had three children hospitalized and Merced County had one

child.

Children's is not the only Valley hospital that treats children with the

disease. It's unclear how many children have been treated at other hospitals in

the Valley.

Valley fever -- or coccidioidomycosis -- can occur when someone breathes in

Coccidioides immitis, fungus spores that grow in the dry alkaline soils of the

Valley.

The number of Valley fever cases fluctuates from year to year, state health

officials said, and for unknown reasons there was an increase in 2010.

More than 4,000 cases were reported in California last year, up from 2,488 in

2009.

Counties in the San Joaquin Valley -- where the disease is endemic -- reported

increases. In Fresno County, there were 727 cases in 2010, compared with 518 in

2009. In Kern County, the state hot spot for Valley fever, more than 2,000 cases

were reported in 2010, up significantly from the 595 cases reported in 2009.

The state is looking at reasons for the increases, said Dr. Duc Vugia, chief of

the infectious diseases branch at the California Department of Public Health.

But spikes are not unusual, Vugia said. The last one occurred in 2006, when the

state reported more than 3,000 cases.

" In the past, there's no particular situation or cause we could pin it on, "

Vugia said.

There are possibilities, he said. For one, a weather pattern -- heavy spring

rains followed by a hot, dry summer and fall wind gusts -- seems to promote the

growth and the dissemination of the fungus, he said.

A new reporting law also could be a factor in the increase, Vugia said.

Beginning Jan. 1, Valley fever became a reportable disease. Up until this year,

laboratories voluntarily reported positive cases of Valley fever.

Valley fever can easily be misdiagnosed because its symptoms mimic a bad flu.

But when Valley fever is suspected, a doctor can order an antibody blood test or

culture.

Valley fever is not contagious. Most people exposed to the fungus don't get

sick. About 60% who are exposed never know they have been. In about 40% of

cases, exposure causes flu-like symptoms -- a cough, bone and joint pain, rashes

and fatigue. But people usually recover without complications.

Those who are exposed usually gain a lifetime immunity against the disease.

For about 1%, Valley fever can spread outside the lungs, causing severe

pneumonia, meningitis and other complications -- and can be fatal.

One of the children treated at Children's hospital for Valley fever this year

died, McCarty said. The 12-year-old Bakersfield boy died Jan. 29, according to

The Bakersfield Californian.

Next PageThe reporter can be reached at banderson@... or (559)

441-6310.

ValleyFeverSurvivor 1 comment collapsed Collapse Expand

Record keeping on Valley Fever has hardly been the best in the past, but almost

every year it has been rising. Valley Fever has been an epidemic for decades.

Although the CDC has not declared it recently, when they had called it an

epidemic in 2003 the case totals were not nearly as bad as today. It has also

been notoriously under-reported in children.

As to the statistic saying only 1% of those with Valley Fever have it spread

outside the lungs...check 20 peer reviewed journals and you might get 20

different opinions on this. I've seen reported at 15% in the journals.

The fungal parasite that causes Valley Fever is regulated by two antiterrorism

laws and people are not informed about that. For your health's sake, go to

www.valleyfeversurvivor.com to learn what doctors won't often say in public

about it. We also have a YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/valleyf...

which may help people with our introductory educational video series.

A Like Reply 02/21/2011 10:36 AM 1 Like .

Read more:

http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/02/20/2280276/valley-fever-cases-increase-in.html#\

ixzz1F7J4vZey

[Guest guest]

http://www.youtube.com/valleyfeversurvivor

>

>

> Valley fever cases increase among children

> Posted at 09:16 PM on Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011

> By Barbara / The Fresno Bee Share51

> Buzz up!

>

>

http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/02/20/2280276/valley-fever-cases-increase-in.html

>

> Counties report more cases of Valley fever

>

> San Joaquin Valley communities are reporting more cases of an illness known

Valley fever, especially among children, and doctors are trying to determine the

cause of the increase.

>

> It's probably not the flu's fault if you're sneezing and coughing. The common

cold and other respiratory viruses are causing the usual wintertime sniffles,

but doctors say influenza has yet to show up in force in the central San Joaquin

Valley.

>

> California's first attempt at making hospital-acquired infection rates

available to the public is of little use to people concerned about catching a

deadly bug during a hospital stay.

>

>

> Doctors in the central San Joaquin Valley are doing a fairly good job of

keeping people out of hospitals for preventable health problems -- despite a

shortage of doctors, state researchers said Tuesday.

>

>

> The California Department of Mental Health has notified Fresno County that its

only psychiatric crisis center for children does not meet state guidelines --

and now the county is fighting to keep it open.

>

> A spike in Valley fever cases is hitting children particularly hard in the San

Joaquin Valley, and doctors are not sure why.

>

> Since summer 2010, Children's Hospital Central California has had about 15

children admitted for Valley fever -- and many are still there.

>

> At one point this month, 12 children were in the hospital. The past week,

there were eight.

>

> Normally, Children's has about one or two Valley fever patients in the

hospital at any time, said Dr. Jim McCarty, pediatric infectious disease

subspecialist.

>

> " We have never seen anything like this where we have so many patients in the

hospital at one time, " said McCarty, who has been treating children with Valley

fever for about 25 years.

>

>

>

> ERIC PAUL ZAMORA / THE FRESNO BEE

> Cervantes, 3, stands in his room in mid-play at Children's Hospital

Central California on Wednesday. This is the third visit for who was

diagnosed with Valley fever.

> ERIC PAUL ZAMORA / THE FRESNO BEEA catheter is fixed to Cervantes' arm

from which he receives anti-fungal medication to aid in his recovery.

> CLICK FOR MORE PHOTOS

>

> PDF: Valley fever cases increase in children

>

> Several children have been recuperating in the hospital for weeks. One patient

who remains hospitalized was admitted Sept. 13, McCarty said.

>

> Of the 15 children at Children's, four were from Kings County. Fresno, Tulare

and Kern counties each had three children hospitalized and Merced County had one

child.

>

> Children's is not the only Valley hospital that treats children with the

disease. It's unclear how many children have been treated at other hospitals in

the Valley.

>

> Valley fever -- or coccidioidomycosis -- can occur when someone breathes in

Coccidioides immitis, fungus spores that grow in the dry alkaline soils of the

Valley.

>

> The number of Valley fever cases fluctuates from year to year, state health

officials said, and for unknown reasons there was an increase in 2010.

>

> More than 4,000 cases were reported in California last year, up from 2,488 in

2009.

>

> Counties in the San Joaquin Valley -- where the disease is endemic -- reported

increases. In Fresno County, there were 727 cases in 2010, compared with 518 in

2009. In Kern County, the state hot spot for Valley fever, more than 2,000 cases

were reported in 2010, up significantly from the 595 cases reported in 2009.

>

> The state is looking at reasons for the increases, said Dr. Duc Vugia, chief

of the infectious diseases branch at the California Department of Public Health.

>

> But spikes are not unusual, Vugia said. The last one occurred in 2006, when

the state reported more than 3,000 cases.

>

> " In the past, there's no particular situation or cause we could pin it on, "

Vugia said.

>

> There are possibilities, he said. For one, a weather pattern -- heavy spring

rains followed by a hot, dry summer and fall wind gusts -- seems to promote the

growth and the dissemination of the fungus, he said.

>

> A new reporting law also could be a factor in the increase, Vugia said.

Beginning Jan. 1, Valley fever became a reportable disease. Up until this year,

laboratories voluntarily reported positive cases of Valley fever.

>

> Valley fever can easily be misdiagnosed because its symptoms mimic a bad flu.

But when Valley fever is suspected, a doctor can order an antibody blood test or

culture.

>

> Valley fever is not contagious. Most people exposed to the fungus don't get

sick. About 60% who are exposed never know they have been. In about 40% of

cases, exposure causes flu-like symptoms -- a cough, bone and joint pain, rashes

and fatigue. But people usually recover without complications.

>

> Those who are exposed usually gain a lifetime immunity against the disease.

>

> For about 1%, Valley fever can spread outside the lungs, causing severe

pneumonia, meningitis and other complications -- and can be fatal.

>

> One of the children treated at Children's hospital for Valley fever this year

died, McCarty said. The 12-year-old Bakersfield boy died Jan. 29, according to

The Bakersfield Californian.

>

>

>

> Next PageThe reporter can be reached at banderson@... or (559) 441-6310.

>

>

> ValleyFeverSurvivor 1 comment collapsed Collapse Expand

>

> Record keeping on Valley Fever has hardly been the best in the past, but

almost every year it has been rising. Valley Fever has been an epidemic for

decades. Although the CDC has not declared it recently, when they had called it

an epidemic in 2003 the case totals were not nearly as bad as today. It has also

been notoriously under-reported in children.

>

> As to the statistic saying only 1% of those with Valley Fever have it spread

outside the lungs...check 20 peer reviewed journals and you might get 20

different opinions on this. I've seen reported at 15% in the journals.

>

> The fungal parasite that causes Valley Fever is regulated by two antiterrorism

laws and people are not informed about that. For your health's sake, go to

www.valleyfeversurvivor.com to learn what doctors won't often say in public

about it. We also have a YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/valleyf...

which may help people with our introductory educational video series.

> A Like Reply 02/21/2011 10:36 AM 1 Like .

>

> Read more:

http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/02/20/2280276/valley-fever-cases-increase-in.html#\

ixzz1F7J4vZey

>