We were pleased to be interviewed for Michael Bedigan’s article “Valley Fever: The deadly and incurable disease terrifying the west coast” for the Independent. Several members of our Valley Fever Survivor Support Group and questionnaire respondents agreed to help Michael with his article for interviews and provided pictures of their ordeal with Valley Fever. Along with commentary from Sharon Filip and I (David Filip), Valley Fever news mainstays Dr. Galgiani and Dr. Comrie were also interviewed.
This is one of the best articles we have seen in a long time. There is no sugar coating. There were no qualifiers nor pleading that people understand how rare this is, rather than how important it is.
Dr. Galgiani shared commentary on the current state of medical testing and education for Valley Fever. Long time VFS readers may be familiar with the CDC estimates that suggest even the 80% estimate may not reach the full extent of the problem, but the fact that statements like this are being made in public is fantastic:
“The diagnosed cases are [currently] 20,000 per year,” Dr Galgiani says. “But that is the tip of the iceberg in terms of what the real problem is. There’s so many things that can be done about it but it just doesn’t get the attention it deserves.”
Dr Galgiani says that despite progress in recent years, up to 80 per cent of potential Valley Fever patients are still not being tested, due to a lack of knowledge or inaction from medical professionals.
“Part of it is that many people don’t train where this disease is common,” he says. “So they learned their craft and it wasn’t to include Valley Fever as part of the things to look for… there’s a lot of resistance. Not bad people, just inertia.
“Then a lot of doctors don’t know how to treat it or manage it again so… you know, if they get a positive test, they don’t know what to do with it. So that’s a good reason not to test.”
I shared information about the state of public education on the topic:
“When you see the public service campaigns… they have things like Are you coughing? Are you feeling sick? Talk to your doctor about Valley Fever,” David says.
“That’s kind of like saying, ‘Are you passing through the windshield of your car?’ Maybe you should fight against drunk driving and have someone else drive.
“We’re talking about things after the fact which is allowing the people to come in and get infected rather than warning people ahead of time. There are no warnings.”
Beyond excerpts, the stories shared by Tim, Shirley, and Cheyenne’s mother Sarris prove the seriousness of Valley Fever and drive the point home.
Read the complete article at https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/valley-fever-disease-endemic-california-arizona-b2517895.html