Dust Bowl-ification of U.S. Southwest leads to 8-fold jump in Valley Fever cases
Coccidioidomycosis is commonly known as "cocci" or Valley Fever. It can be a devastating, life threatening disease affecting humans and other mammals. Many people have never heard of this disease but sadly with climate change taking place more and more people will have to learn about it and so will their doctors and veterinarians.
Dust Bowl-ification of U.S. Southwest leads to 8-fold jump in Valley Fever cases
As the region dries out, infections from inhaling soil-dwelling fungus see stunning jump.
The infection rate of Valley Fever in the Southwest United States has gone up a stunning 800 percent from 2000 to 2011, as dust storms have more than doubled.
New research directly links the rise in Valley Fever to the rise in dust storms, which in turn is driven by climate change. Valley Fever, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls “a fungal lung infection that can be devastating,” is caused by inhaling soil-dwelling fungus. When the soil dries out and turns to dust, the wind can make the fungus airborne.
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But the biggest concern about modern Dust-Bowlification is the tremendous challenge of “feeding some 9 billion people by mid-century in the face of a rapidly worsening climate.” This is why climate action is so urgent and vital.
[link:https://thinkprogress.org/valley-fever-soars-climate-change-8b236cf4e9c9|
