Updates

May 2008: The next Valley Fever Survivor Support Group Maricopa County/NW Valley Chapter meeting will be on May 15 at the Chez Nous Center Cafe. For more information, see our VFS Support Group page.

April 2008: Through March 22nd, nearly 1,200 people have been diagnosed with Valley Fever in Arizona this year. Using the CDC's EID model, this means 60,000 people in Arizona were estimated to be infected in this short time but 98% remain undiagnosed.

Also, the Valley Fever Survivor Support Group Maricopa County/NW Valley Chapter will have its first meeting this month. Chapter Director Pat White be having meetings every third Thursday of each month at 2 p.m. beginning April 17, 2008. The Location is:

CHEZ NOUS CENTER CAFE
14495 R. H. Johnson Blvd.
Sun City West, AZ 85375
Phone: 623-584-0040

It is located on the southwest corners of R.H. Johnson Blvd. and Meeker in a small strip mall. Anyone from any area is welcome to attend.

March 2008: We have a new installment of Sharon's Desk that discusses the current state of vaccine funding.

February Reminder: The next meeting of the Valley Fever Survivor Support Group (VFSSG) chapter in Phoenix/Glendale is scheduled for 6:30pm on Wednesday, February 13th. It will take place at

Phoenix Baptist Hospital
2000 W. Bethany Home Road
Phoenix, AZ 85015
West Auditorium

Everyone from any city is welcome.

Important VFS News Alert!

January 2008: We were given the following information from California's vaccine project, the Valley Fever Americas Foundation:

• For Jim Nussle, the message is to please support vaccine research funding in the President's 2009 budget!
• For  congressional representatives, request support for vaccine research funding in the appropriation process,  

As always, valleyfeversurvivor.com wants vaccine research to be fully funded. This is an opportunity where everyone reading this and sending out their own letter, e-mail or fax can make a difference.

To help get you started, we already prepared two letters for your convenience. This letter is for your U.S. Congressperson so you can ask him or her to support the appropriation of funding from Director Nussle. The second letter can be used to contact Director Nussle himself to request the appropriation of funding. Both are important and necessary.

Everyone reading this should participate no matter which state you live in. Please follow these links and personalize the letters. These letters must be received on or before the first week of February. Preferably they should be done as soon as possible so send out your own letters ASAP! Get your family, friends, and co-workers involved so they will send their own letters too. What you do today may decide if any money is appropriated for the vaccine research for 2009. Thank you in advance for helping to make the appropriation of money for the vaccine project successful.

December 2007: THE VACCINE PROJECT URGENTLY NEEDS YOUR HELP NOW!

We were contacted today by the Valley Fever Vaccine Project and they need your help! In order for them to receive money for the VF vaccine work that was authorized in the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, an appropriation must be made.

This is what you need to do: Download the Microsoft Word document (in .doc format) the Vaccine Project sent us so you can view it and send it to your US Senate and Congressional representatives. Let them know that you want them to contact the Office of Congressman Kevin McCarthy at 202-225-2915 to tell him they will sign on to the funding request letter for the Valley Fever Vaccine Project.

Unfortunately, even though this information just came in, action must be taken very quickly. We were originally told these messages should be sent by the 14th but congress will remain in session for an additional week so the deadline has been extended to Wednesday, December 19th. If you don't know how to contact your elected officials, please visit www.govspot.com to learn how.

Also, for those who would like to donate to the Valley Fever Vaccine Project, Dr. Cole's University of Texas Vaccine Project, and other worthwhile Valley Fever projects, please visit our Links and Contributions page.

November 2007: The latest statistics for Valley Fever cases in the top two endemic areas through the beginning of November 2007:

Arizona had nearly 4000 provisional cases reported
California had nearly 2200 provisional cases reported

Since 2% or less of Valley Fever cases are estimated ever to be reported, that leaves 98% either misdiagnosed or never diagnosed. Therefore, the estimated total numbers of infections caused by Valley Fever through early November 2007 are below:

Arizona	200,000
California	110,000
Other States	8,200
Total Est. USA	318,200

These are frightening numbers and can not be ignored. This disease is destroying lives, families, and the future of our children. Please help support Valley Fever research by donating what you can afford. Our links page has information about the organizations conducting Valley Fever research and how you can donate to them. Thank You.

The Valley Fever Survivor Reference Guide

This long requested and anticipated guide will finally be available for sale in e-book format very soon and as a printed book shortly thereafter. It has everything a patient, family member, visitor, student, animal lover, veterinarian and doctor should read. The guide is the first and only book of its kind.

With information about symptoms, drugs, treatment, testing, and more, people with Valley Fever (or with pets that have Valley Fever) finally have an all-in-one resource. It has specific sections to include stories by Valley Fever survivors, tales of pets with the disease, and a chapter to share with family members who do not seem to understand the seriousness of Valley Fever. It even has an entire chapter devoted to boosting your immune system and health improvements you can make beyond your doctor's care. This book has been designed with general audiences in mind so it is easy to read and understand, no matter how complex the medical issues are.

As a bonus, this book contains the ultimate Valley Fever glossary, including over 320 definitions to explain the jargon used in medical reports and by your physician. No longer will patients be kept in the dark about what is happening to them.

All those who donated $50 or more to Dr. Cole's Valley Fever vaccine work (as a part of our promotion for the September benefit) will receive their free copy within the next few weeks.

October 2007: Due to the benefit in September and a large amount of behind the scenes work at Valley Fever Survivor, we have been unable to respond to our backlog of emails from September and this month. These delays will continue as we conclude work on the Valley Fever Survivor Quick Guide. Thank you for your patience.

However, we have updated the web site with a new Frequently Asked Question:

My titers have recently become lower, but my Valley Fever symptoms feel worse. How is this possible and what could this mean?
While a lower number on the Valley Fever complement fixation titer often means that the patient's symptoms are improving, the link is not absolute. This is because titers test for antibodies against Valley Fever, and while antibodies are useful in blood tests for doctors to find, they are actually useless when fighting the disease. It is white blood cells that fight Valley Fever spherules.

A decreased antibody response could be due to A) an immune system problem, B) the fact that a decrease in antibody response doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the course of the disease (VF may actually be getting worse), or C) a medical error during testing or transportation of test materials.

Remember that antifungal drugs' side effects can cause many symptoms that are similar to Valley Fever. It may even be that a drug has stopped the Valley Fever symptoms but is creating its own symptoms.

Please read our Frequently Asked Questions to learn more information that may be helpful to you.

To read our previous updates, click here.

Our Mission Statement

Valley Fever Survivor^TM was created to educate people everywhere about the potentially debilitating consequences of a Valley Fever (coccidioidomycosis) infection. For all those who have died or suffered the horrors of this disease, we must become a voice for action so that others will not have to suffer the same fate.

We also want to help raise funds for research. A vaccine project is in the works and hopefully someday there will be a cure for Valley Fever sufferers.

Please visit all the pages on this site and take part in our research questionnaire and surveys. More information and news will be coming in the future.

As a visitor to Arizona in 2001 I knew nothing about the possibilities of contracting the state's secret "local disease." A week after I returned home I became ill and it was only a matter of time before I heard the words “Valley Fever.” I had a titer of 1:64 and the illness almost took my life. I hope you will read my Valley Fever story.

Our goal is to end this disease’s obscurity. If people think Valley Fever is nothing to be worried about or have never heard of it, they are not likely to do anything to protect themselves. My son David and I are in the process of writing the most comprehensive book ever written on Valley Fever for the lay person or medical professional. It will be an eye opening revelation for the nation and the international community.

Please fill out the questionnaire and appropriate surveys, and write to tell us your story. We feel for all the animals suffering as well as the people. Valley Fever’s toll on the canine population has become an epidemic. The 1980 estimate of ten million human infections (from Dr. Stevens' textbook Coccidioidomycosis) shows this disease has already been an epidemic in humans for decades. Stories about cocci infections in yourself or your family members, or even your dog, cat, horse, etc. will be welcomed. We would like to include different cases of Valley Fever in our book. If you would like to be considered for inclusion please participate with our web site's questionnaires, surveys, polls, and message boards, or email us at voiceforaction@valleyfeversurvivor.com and tell us your story.

Thank you,

Sharon Filip
Founder of valleyfeversurvivor.com