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Source: https://www.vcreporter.com/2018/03/s...-county-state/
SPORE CITY | Valley fever cases spike significantly in county, state
Mar 7, 2018 | Chris O'Neal, News, Ventura County | 0 |
The next time you take a deep breath on a windy day, you may want to cover your mouth. Ventura County has seen a three-fold increase in the number of cases of valley fever since September 2017, resulting so far in five deaths due to complications.
From Sept. 1, 2017, to Feb. 28, 2018, there have been 371 cases of valley fever in Ventura County, according to Dr. Robert Levin, Ventura County Public Health Officer. For the same period the previous year, there were 122 total. The five people who died were elderly...
...In fact, further deepening the mystery, Ventura County isn?t the only California locale to suffer from a dramatic increase in valley fever cases. Comparing January 2017 to January 2018, the state has seen a 233 percent increase in cases; Kern County alone had a 402 percent increase, and Ventura County a staggering 588 percent increase, says Levin...
...There are ways to increase your personal defense against the fungus, says Levin, one of which involves informing contractors on proper safety protocols when operating machinery that disturbs soil. Spraying dust down with a water hose could help prevent the fungus from going airborne, and having workers wear particulate-matter masks ? such as the N95 masks that became a popular fashion accessory in Ventura County for the month of December ? would help.
For the individual, Levin says that being aware of the wind conditions outdoors is important.
?If a day is particularly dusty, you should stay indoors; and if you have to go outdoors and it?s really dusty, you should consider wearing a mask,? said Levin. ?Something I do is when you?re driving and you pull up on the edge of a field, or on a dusty day, keep that recirculate button on.?
SPORE CITY | Valley fever cases spike significantly in county, state
Mar 7, 2018 | Chris O'Neal, News, Ventura County | 0 |
The next time you take a deep breath on a windy day, you may want to cover your mouth. Ventura County has seen a three-fold increase in the number of cases of valley fever since September 2017, resulting so far in five deaths due to complications.
From Sept. 1, 2017, to Feb. 28, 2018, there have been 371 cases of valley fever in Ventura County, according to Dr. Robert Levin, Ventura County Public Health Officer. For the same period the previous year, there were 122 total. The five people who died were elderly...
...In fact, further deepening the mystery, Ventura County isn?t the only California locale to suffer from a dramatic increase in valley fever cases. Comparing January 2017 to January 2018, the state has seen a 233 percent increase in cases; Kern County alone had a 402 percent increase, and Ventura County a staggering 588 percent increase, says Levin...
...There are ways to increase your personal defense against the fungus, says Levin, one of which involves informing contractors on proper safety protocols when operating machinery that disturbs soil. Spraying dust down with a water hose could help prevent the fungus from going airborne, and having workers wear particulate-matter masks ? such as the N95 masks that became a popular fashion accessory in Ventura County for the month of December ? would help.
For the individual, Levin says that being aware of the wind conditions outdoors is important.
?If a day is particularly dusty, you should stay indoors; and if you have to go outdoors and it?s really dusty, you should consider wearing a mask,? said Levin. ?Something I do is when you?re driving and you pull up on the edge of a field, or on a dusty day, keep that recirculate button on.?