Skip to main content. You are here Home. Health and Wellness Topics:. Healthy Communities , Heart and Lung Health. Here are five things you need to know: 1 It can be a serious respiratory health issue. You cannot get it from another person or from animals. After getting better, most people will not get valley fever again.
This is called being immune. But valley fever can come back again in people who have weak immune systems and can't fight infection. This includes people who have HIV, are taking medicine that suppresses the immune system such as prednisone or methotrexate , or have had an organ transplant.
Most people don't have any symptoms, or they have only very mild symptoms. If you do have symptoms, you may feel like you have a cold or the flu. You may have a fever, chills, chest pain, a dry cough, and a rash. The time from contact with the fungus until symptoms start is usually 1 to 3 weeks. This is called the incubation period.
In rare cases, valley fever can spread to the skin, bones, lymph nodes , and organs. It can lead to meningitis , a very serious infection of the coverings around the brain and spinal cord.
The disease is more likely to spread to other areas of the body in people who have weak immune systems. This includes pregnant women, people who have HIV, people who take medicines that weaken the immune system, and people who have diabetes. Talk with your doctor if your symptoms are severe or last more than a few weeks, or if you have a weak immune system and have valley fever.
Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and do a physical examination. He or she may ask if you have travelled in areas where valley fever occurs. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Valley Fever Coccidioidomycosis.
Minus Related Pages. Related Links. The fungi can cause valley fever, also known as acute coccidioidomycosis kok-sid-e-oy-doh-my-KOH-sis. Mild cases of valley fever usually resolve on their own.
In more-severe cases, doctors treat the infection with antifungal medications. Valley fever is the initial form of coccidioidomycosis infection.
This initial, acute illness can develop into a more serious disease, including chronic and disseminated coccidioidomycosis. The initial, or acute, form of coccidioidomycosis is often mild, with few or no symptoms. Signs and symptoms occur one to three weeks after exposure. They tend to be similar to flu symptoms. Symptoms can range from minor to severe, including:. If you don't become ill or have symptoms from valley fever, you may only find out you've been infected later.
You may find out when you have a positive skin or blood test or when small areas of residual infection in the lungs nodules show up on a routine chest X-ray.
The nodules typically don't cause problems, but they can look like cancer on X-rays. If you develop symptoms, especially severe ones, the course of the disease is highly variable. It can take months to fully recover. Fatigue and joint aches can last even longer. The disease's severity depends on several factors, including your overall health and the number of fungus spores you inhale.
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