Courtesy ABC 30
SAN DIEGO, CA (KUZZ) — A new UC San Diego study suggests changes in how California’s farmland is used could be contributing to an increased risk of Valley Fever.
Researchers found that newly fallowed farmland located near communities was associated with higher rates of the disease.
Valley Fever is caused by a fungus that lives in soil. When the soil is disturbed, airborne fungal spores can be released and inhaled, potentially causing serious respiratory illness.
Kern County — recorded more than 32-hundred Valley Fever cases — last year — while complete numbers for this year — are not yet finalized.
Kern County recorded 3,289 Valley Fever cases and 41 deaths in 2025.
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