Visitors at risk during Arizona’s Valley Fever outbreak – Vax-Before-Travel

A rarely discussed fungal infection, primarily found in soil in the Southwest and endemic to Arizona, greatly affected people’s respiratory health in 2024. Living in Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, puts residents at high risk for Valley Fever.

While anyone who lives in or travels to an endemic area with Valley Fever (coccidioidomycosis) is at risk, with around 5% of seniors most vulnerable.

According to data published by the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) on January 3, 2025, there have been about 100% more cases of Vallery fever per year over the past decade.

As of the end of 2024, ADHS reported that Maricopa County had about 9,744 of Arizona’s 14,680 cases of valley fever. In 2023, all of Arizona reported 9,148 cases.

Across the United States, 22,939 cases were reported in 2024. On average, there were approx. 200 coccidioidomycosis-related deaths each year in the United States

Without an approved antifungal vaccine for humans by 2025, Valley Fever infections require immediate treatment and can become very serious. Symptoms can last for years and may require lifelong treatment with antifungal medication.

Infections can cause chronic pneumonia, similar to tuberculosis, and disseminated disease.

Disseminated disease is when the fungal infection spreads from the lungs to other parts of the body. The most common areas where it spreads are the skin, bones, joints and brain. Infection in the brain can be fatal.

While the US CDC has not issued a Travel Health Advisory regarding Valley fever outbreaks in Arizona and California, countries such as Canada list this disease as a health risk when visiting the United States

From a disease prevention perspective, Anivive Lifesciences Inc. announced recently that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has awarded a new contract worth up to $33 million to support the development of a vaccine against Coccidioides.

Dr. Edward Robb, Anivive Lifesciences Chief Strategy Officer and Principal Investigator commented in a press release August 2024, “This collaborative effort has provided a significant step forward in vaccinology and has the potential to be the first vaccine to prevent a serious systemic fungal infection common to humans and animals.”

This contract funding is intended to leverage the underlying science of Anivive’s animal health vaccine for dogs currently under review by the USDA Center for Veterinary Biologics.