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Re:A Disease Without a Cure Spreads Quietly in the West by notatoad on Friday July 05, 2013 @12:10PM (#5995488)
>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.

Re:A Disease Without a Cure Spreads Quietly in the West by kafkaesque on Friday July 05, 2013 @12:44PM (#5995642)
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/

Re:A Disease Without a Cure Spreads Quietly in the West by jacques_chester on Friday July 05, 2013 @12:39PM (#5995616)
In fairness, it's causing genuine suffering and is so far incurable for many people.
Re:A Disease Without a Cure Spreads Quietly in the West by clauretano on Friday July 05, 2013 @04:28PM (#5996619)
They call it "valley fever" in the Valley of the Sun (i.e. Phoenix metro area) as well.