Masks can reduce risk of Valley fever, Arizona experts say

[StarryNite]

Masks can reduce risk of Valley fever, Arizona experts say

By Victoria Hill and Julia Sandor/Cronkite News
July 29, 2021

PHOENIX – Arizona has recorded more than 6,800 cases of Valley fever so far this year, according to July data from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Cases have steadily climbed every year since 2016, with the state reporting more than 11,400 cases last year.

Valley fever is a lung disease caused by the inhalation of Coccidioides,​​ a fungus common in the alkaline soil of the Sonoran Desert. Experts say it’s particularly important to take precautions during monsoon season, which puts more dust, dirt and bacteria into the air.

One way to protect yourself, doctors say, is by wearing something you likely already own: a mask.

“Wearing a mask, particularly an N95 mask, can also be a good way to prevent Valley fever,” said Dr. David Hatfield, chief medical officer at Hatfield Medical Group.

More at link:

[link:https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2021/07/29/masks-can-reduce-risk-of-valley-fever-arizona-experts-say/|

[AZSkiffyGeek]

1. I remember PSAs about Valley Fever when I was growing up

Scared the crap out of me. I had it when I was about 10. Have lung scarring from it. I know other people who are still suffering from it years later.

[StarryNite]

3. I remember those PSAs too.

Supposedly anyone who has lived in the AZ desert for very long has had it whether they had symptoms or not. I knew a woman who had to have part of a lung removed because of it. It can be absolutely horrific for dogs too. It can even result in leg amputations in dogs. Nearly all my neighbors' dogs have had or still do have it. Well I guess technically once you have it you always have it to some degree even if you don't have symptoms.

A few years ago I joined the Facebook Valley Fever Support Group just in case someone I know or I wind up with it. It's tough reading what people are going through with this disease. Most of the country is totally unaware it even exists yet we live with the possibility of getting it every day.

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[Turbineguy]

2. But what about my freedumb?

[marble falls]

4. The morons know it's real.