>doesn't every place have its own local diseases and parasites?

Exactly. This whole article feels like the sort of ego piece you only get out of places like LA or NYC. Every place on earth has diseases and other medical problems caused by local environmental factors. To give it that a name like "valley fever" is to trivialize the fact that the exact same phenomenon occurs everywhere else in the world too.

I agree that the article is too California-centric, but if you follow the link to the Valley Fever Center, the first thing it says is "Two-thirds of all U.S. Valley Fever infections are contracted in Arizona"[0]. I'm not saying this is the next epidemic in the 'West', but I do feel a watchful eye is needed. I live in LA, I'm a runner and don't live in a coastal city. My lungs are very susceptible to bad air (particulates). I moved to LA from a city with much cleaner air, and I've read LA residents tend to have more lung problems. Sorry, I don't have a link/source handy.

[0] https://www.vfce.arizona.edu/

In fairness, it's causing genuine suffering and is so far incurable for many people.

They call it "valley fever" in the Valley of the Sun (i.e. Phoenix metro area) as well.

>doesn't every place have its own local diseases and parasites???

You're right. I live in the mid-Atlantic region of the country. Two months ago, we went hiking in the woods and my wife and I forgot to check our three kids for ticks until the next day. My 4 year old son had two ticks on him. A week later, bulls-eye rash about 5 inches in diameter appeared on his back around one of the tick bites.

Three weeks of antibiotics later, he was fine but there are a lot of people that get Lyme's Disease without even knowing that they had a tick bite, or the rash that appears in the majority (but not all) is in their hairline so they don't see it. Untreated, it can have a lot of the same effects the article attributes to this fungal infection.

Quite right .. Untreated Borrellia (Lyme's Disease) can actually be very severe (cardiac, large joint and cns involvement). You should always has some kind of pest-repellent on yourself in case you plan to camp.

Good thing you son had very TYPICAL presentation and history - H/o Hike in the woods , followed by rash with central clearing (bull's eye).

Lyme's disease is Endemic in the NE USA and some part of central US as well.

The article is a little sensationalist like I mentioned in another comment. Many parts of US (and the world) have their own set of Endemic Diseases to the Geo-location.

ps: It's untreated Borrellia infection that leas to lyme's disease.

If only the crazy people hadn't won I would be able to get a Borrellia vaccine, where I live I assume I will get Lyme's Disease before I die of old age.

What really gets me angry is I can vaccinate my dog... I've been looking into vaccine compatibility...

Where I grew up (Darwin, Australia), gardening can kill you with a flesh-eating bacteria.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melioidosis

Luckily, it's treatable with very high doses of antibiotics. It mostly kills the already infirm or elderly.

Swimming in a lake here in Florida can kill you:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naegleria_fowleri

Personally, I prefer springs and oceans. So not too worried about that. Lakes around here are murky and full of gators any way.

Oh that disease due to a kind of Amoeba (Naegleria) is very bad because it actually almost always leads to death (post to meningo-encephalitis). 97-99% mortality unlike coccidioidomycosis (which is a little hyped in the article).

They tried Amphotericin B in some case with limited success but the disease is always fatal :(

On the plus side, it's extremely rare. About three cases a year in the U.S. on average.

Darwin wins again -- Saltwater crocodiles are bigger than alligators :D

A similar virus killed Steve Frasier, founder of Internet Mortgage Exchange (IMX), who also contracted it gardening at his home in Walnut Creek.

He had a fever and complained of pain in his arms for a week before going to see a doctor, but by then there was little they code do as the bacteria had spread to his heart.