While of course not EVERYONE gets valley fever, it is very common here.
This summer, cases in Arizona were up by nearly 50 percent over the same time the previous year.
The disease is not contagious, but the reason it’s important to catch valley fever early is that it can be treated with antifungal medications, but if treated with routine antibiotics, including penicillin, the condition could actually get worse.
That means if you have symptoms that look like pneumonia, you might want to ask your doctor for a valley fever test.