Two valley fever bills signed by Gov. Brown

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — Things just got better when it comes to consistency of reporting and confirming valley fever cases.

Assembly bill 1787, coauthored by Assembly members Vince Fong and Rudy Salas, and AB 1788, written by Salas, were both signed into law by California Gov. Jerry Brown Tuesday.

“This is a big win for the thousands of valley fever patients and families affected by this disease,” Salas said. “This is the culmination of years of working to make progress on a disease that has not always received the attention that it warrants. These bills will help to ensure that our state has the most accurate valley fever data available so that health officials can respond to the growing number of cases in our state.”

AB 1787 would standardize the reporting process by establishing an annual deadline for the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to collect valley fever cases and ensure CDPH and local health departments have consistent, accurate data for Valley Fever.

“I am very proud of the collective and bipartisan work we did this year on fighting valley fever,” Fong said. “Getting AB 1787 signed into law has been a true local-state partnership that is so critical in our ongoing battle to provide the treatment and education necessary to help as many families that are suffering as result of this devastating disease.”

AB 1788 would provide a modified case definition that allows positive laboratory test data to confirm cases of valley fever, which studies have shown to increase efficiency, reduce strain on resources, allow for enhanced surveillance, and maintain accuracy to improve the state’s ability to handle the record high, rapidly rising number of valley fever cases.

“AB 1787 is a tremendous help in our collective effort to combat Valley Fever, especially here in Kern County, where we are leading the way for the rest of the state,” said Matt Constantine, Kern County director of public health. “This was a critical partnership with the state and we hope to continue to provide the treatment and assistance to those who are suffering from valley Fever as best as we can.”

Valley fever (coccidioidomycosis – or ‘cocci’) is primarily a disease of the lungs caused by the inhalation of airborne particles of the fungus Coccidioides, which is found in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, according to the Valley Fever Center for Excellence.

The Kern County Public Health Department reported this year that valley fever cases have increased for the fourth year in a row in the county.

Valley fever is a dramatically underreported disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 150,000 cases go unreported every year in the United States.