US drought revives fungus that causes fever and meningitis

Fires, floods and the record sting of 2022 certainly pose a great danger to human health. But dry weather in the US in California awakened to life a pathogenic fungus that spreads by airborne droplets.

It’s called Coccidioides, and it causes Valley Fever. Its symptoms are crushing headaches and sinus infections. Worst of all, it can turn into meningitis.

Former financial planner and father of two, Rob Purry, first contracted a fever and then contracted meningitis. He complained that the illness had taken away all his health and all the money the family had.

Coccidioides requires a dry and hot climate to survive. Therefore, the disease, originally characteristic of the hot plains of California, is becoming more common. This was announced by infectious disease expert Dr. Royce Johnson.

Much of the western US is already in drought, added Morgan Gorris, an Earth system researcher at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

“The western half of the US is expected to continue to be fairly dry and Valley Fever will continue to spread,” he predicted.

It is important to note that the soil, if left untouched, will not necessarily lead to the inhalation of the disease. But any disturbance to the layer, whether it be a full-scale archaeological site or a burrowing animal, will release the fungus from the soil. Pathogenic spores can travel up to 75 miles (120 km).

Scientists recently warned that the next global pandemic could be fungal. Therefore, the growing spread of Coccidioides is of particular concern.

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