On June 25, state Sen. Sharon Runner – who represents Santa Clarita, Lancaster, Palmdale and Victorville – put together “Raising Valley Fever Awareness” in Lancaster at the Antelope Valley Hospital Community Resource Center. She wasn’t able to make it, so Assemblyman Scott Wilk hosted the event on her behalf.

According to the epidemiologist presenters, valley fever is an illness caused by a fungus called coccidioides that lives in soil and dirt. It comes from winds, dust storms and earthquakes and is present in the top few inches of soil. It is understandable why epidemiologists want to raise awareness about valley fever in the Antelope Valley, especially with how windy it gets here.

According to the Department of Public Health, signs and symptoms of valley fever are coughs, fever, chest pain, headache, muscle aches, rash on upper trunk or extremities, joint pain in the knees or ankles, and fatigue for at least seven to 21 days. One can have valley fever without any of these symptoms.

According to epidemiologist Ramon Guevara, individuals who have risk of exposure of valley fever are residents and travelers in endemic areas, prisoners, correctional facility workers, military workers, border patrol, construction workers, agricultural workers and archaeologists. He also shared that males are more likely to get valley fever than women, and that African Americans and Filipinos, along with the possibility of Asians, Native Americans and Hispanics, are more likely to get valley fever than other races.

According to Guevara, from 1992 to 2005, there have been about 250 cases per 1 million people of valley fever, which is the highest rate in comparison to the rest of Los Angeles County. He also shared that from 2003 to 2005 alone, there were about 160 cases per 1 million. He also shared with the audience that valley fever was present at high rates during the 1994 earthquake in Northridge and another time during the construction boom in the Antelope Valley from 2003 to 2005. This must mean many construction workers had high exposure to valley fever from 2003 to 2005.

The best solution to prevent valley fever is to raise awareness about it, and Sen. Runner and her presenters have done a great job explaining and educating the community about it. However, there is more that can be done. We also need to educate companies of certain industries such as the state prison system, military, construction and agriculture about valley fever. There may be a need for laws to require companies to protect workers, especially our construction workers, by making them wear mandatory respiratory masks to keep them safe while working, which is recommended by the California Department of Public Health to prevent valley fever. According to the Department of Public Health, a worker who is outside for long hours wearing a respiratory mask can prevent valley fever by at least 90 percent more than a worker who does not wear one.

I believe the presentation overlooked the issue that there could be an undercount of Hispanics; many of these individuals generally work in construction and agriculture, especially here in the Antelope Valley. There is also a possibility that some of them could be undocumented, which would make it extremely expensive for them to go see a doctor to get checked for valley fever.

It is not understandable why there isn’t more research on valley fever to get updated information about it. Especially since the number of cases are in the millions and increasing. The best thing one can do as a resident or a visitor to the Antelope Valley is to stay indoors when it gets dusty outside.

Enaya Hanbali is a native Southern Californian of Arab American descent. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and master’s degree in public policy and administration from California State University, Long Beach.