By Kathleen Jacob, Originally published on KEPRtv.com
Valley Fever was recently discovered in the Tri-Cities. There are eight patients in recent years who have been diagnosed with it. Health officials say for most people the symptoms are mild. Sharon’s family thinks the risk of Valley Fever is understated.
“We could look at the footage of those doctors in HazMat suits telling you ‘oh, everything is gonna be fine, while they’re covered head to toe. Or we can say, “there’s a problem, this is something we need to be on the lookout for, if we catch it early we’ll be able to be ahead of this thing,” said Sharon’s son [David Filip] and author of Valley Fever Epidemic.
She and her son started a website to raise awareness and support of Valley Fever.
“When you have the knowledge behind you, you have something to go forward with,” said Sharon.
The televised version of this interview included footage of the soil collectors in hazmat suits examining newly discovered areas in Eastern Washington with the spores that cause Valley Fever. Interestingly, the crew filming the soil collection and the nearby populace were not given such protection or even as stern a warning about Valley Fever as you are likely to find on this site.