Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever) in San Luis Obispo County
Coccidioidomycosis (aka, Valley Fever or Cocci) is endemic to San Luis Obispo County. San Luis Obispo County has conditions that are ideal for the growth of this fungal organism, with a generally arid climate, below 4,500 feet elevation, and sandy soil. What this means is that this fungus lives and grows in the soil of our County. There are many good websites out there that can give background information on what Cocci is, risk factors, testing, diagnosis and other information. Three are listed below:
http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/dfbmd/disease_listing/coccidioidomycosis_gi.html
http://www.vfce.arizona.edu/
http://www.doctorfungus.org/
This site is intended to provide information on the local burden of Valley Fever in San Luis Obispo County, and provide resources not necessarily found elsewhere.
San Luis Obispo County Statistics:
Reported* Cocci cases by year for San Luis Obispo County:
|
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
TOTAL |
|
North County |
25 |
52 |
24 |
32 |
36 |
64 |
67 |
87 |
54 |
441 |
|
South County |
19 |
25 |
16 |
42 |
39 |
48 |
81 |
42 |
32 |
344 |
|
Unknown |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
|
TOTAL |
44 |
77 |
41 |
74 |
75 |
113 |
148 |
160 |
87 |
|
*These are reported cases only. There are almost certainly many more cases each year.
Demographic Information for cases between 2000 and 2008, inclusive
|
|
South County |
North County |
Total |
|
Count |
Percent |
Count |
Percent |
Count |
Percent |
|
TOTAL CASES |
344 |
|
441 |
|
785 |
|
|
Average Age |
45.44 |
|
45.21 |
|
|
|
|
Race |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
White |
198 |
58% |
296 |
67% |
494 |
62.9% |
|
|
Hispanic |
71 |
21% |
114 |
26% |
185 |
23.6% |
|
|
Black or African American |
38 |
11% |
6 |
1% |
44 |
5.6% |
|
|
Native Hawaiian and other pacific islander |
7 |
2% |
6 |
1% |
13 |
1.7% |
|
|
American Indian and Alaskan Native |
1 |
0% |
0 |
0% |
1 |
0.1% |
|
|
Asian |
6 |
2% |
3 |
1% |
9 |
1.1% |
|
|
Unknown |
15 |
4% |
12 |
3% |
27 |
3.4% |
|
|
Other |
8 |
2% |
2 |
0% |
10 |
1.3% |
|
Sex |
|
|
|
|
0 |
0.0% |
|
|
Male |
275 |
80% |
289 |
66% |
564 |
71.8% |
|
|
Female |
69 |
20% |
152 |
34% |
221 |
28.2% |
|
Avg. days to diagnose (*excluding outliers >1000) |
36.84 |
|
36.31 |
|
|
|
*Three person’s ages were unknown
Occupational Data for cases reported in 2007 & 2008
|
|
|
South County |
North County |
|
|
|
Count |
Percent |
Count |
Percent |
|
TOTAL CASES |
74 |
|
141 |
|
|
Occupation |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Construction/ Landscape |
6 |
8% |
14 |
10% |
|
|
Minor Child |
3 |
4% |
3 |
2% |
|
|
Farming Equipment Operator |
1 |
1% |
2 |
1% |
|
|
Office Setting |
4 |
5% |
15 |
11% |
|
|
Food Service |
1 |
1% |
2 |
1% |
|
|
Correctional Facility* |
22 |
30% |
3 |
2% |
|
|
Disabled/ At Home |
2 |
3% |
13 |
9% |
|
|
Technical |
1 |
1% |
4 |
3% |
|
|
Firefighter |
2 |
3% |
1 |
1% |
|
|
Retail |
3 |
4% |
2 |
1% |
|
|
Healthcare |
3 |
4% |
3 |
2% |
|
|
Retired |
6 |
8% |
26 |
18% |
|
|
Student |
3 |
4% |
2 |
1% |
|
|
Truck Driver |
0 |
0% |
1 |
1% |
|
|
Industrial |
2 |
3% |
2 |
1% |
|
|
Other |
15 |
20% |
55 |
39% |
*Correctional Facility primarily reflects inmate cases.
Local Presentations and/or resources:
Recommendations for workers to prevent infection by Valley Fever in SLO County: (PDF - 31K)
Average time lapse between infection and Laboratory Diagnosis of Coccidioidomycosis(From Kern County Data): (MS Excel File)
San Luis Obispo County Health Commission Presentation, April 2007 (This is a MS PowerPoint File)
Please note that the skin test is no longer used to diagnose Cocci, and if you suspect you have Cocci, as this chart shows, you may need to wait for several weeks to have laboratory confirmation of infection. However, these test data are informational only, and not meant to guide persons in their testing decisions.
Maps:
SLO County Cocci incidence, 2000-2007 -(PDF 149Kb, small format)
SLO County Cocci incidenct, 2000-2007 (PDF 675Kb, large format)
North County Cocci Incidence, 2000-2007 (PDF 299Kb, small format)
South County Cocci Incidence, 2000-2007[Link]
Articles of Interest:
Coccidioidomycosis – IDSA Guidelines - http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/496991
Estimating Severe Coccidioidomycosis in California –
http://www.cdc.gov/eid/content/13/7/1087.htm
Point-Source outbreak of coccidioidomycosis in construction workers (Outbreak at Camp Roberts)- Epidemiology and Infection (2010) 138:507-511 Cambridge University Press
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences issue : Vol 1111 Coccidioidomycosis Sixth International Symposium
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/117985869/issue
Coccidioidomycosis as a common cause of Community Acquired Pneumonia - http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no06/06-0028.htm
Climate Factors Influencing Coccioidomycosis Seasonality and Outbreaks -
http://www.ehponline.org/members/2005/7786/7786.html