Thousands of people who attended a popular California music festival are being warned they may have been exposed to a life-threatening fungus.
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) said it is investigating a cluster of Valley Fever cases identified among attendees of the music festival Lightning in a Bottle in Buena Vista Lake, which was held from May 21 to 25.
More than 20,000 people attended the event and five have been diagnosed with Valley Fever. Three of the infected have been hospitalized.
Valley fever – which got its name because a majority of cases are found in Arizona and California – is a deadly infection that kills one in 100 people that contract it.
It is caused by the fungus Coccidioides, which releases spores into the air when soil is disturbed that are then inhaled by people. There is no person-to-person transmission.
The CDPH said: ‘Additional cases linked to attendance at the outdoor festival are possible.’
The department added: ‘Overall, cases of Valley fever in California have increased substantially over the last two years, so CDPH is asking attendees of this festival to complete a voluntary survey, even if they don’t have any symptoms.’
Officials did not make public any information about patients, but a Reddit user claims to be one.
About 18 days after returning from the festival, they were hospitalized with a severe lung infection and experienced fevers, aches and a cough.
The user called Valley Fever ‘no joke’ and said it was ‘causing a cavity (a hole) to form inside my right lung.’
Another user commented on the post saying they too had gotten Valley Fever and have been ‘insanely sick.’
One poster said her husband had been infected and developed fluid in his chest and around his lungs. His symptoms began June 5 and he was hospitalized on June 12. He was finally sent home July 1 but will be on antifungal treatments ‘for months.’
Multiple users said the festival organizers should relocate going forward because of the prevalence of the fungus in the area and the dusty conditions of the event.
Representatives from the Lightning in a Bottle festival told DailyMail.com in an emailed statement: ‘The California health department has recently made us aware that they are expecting 7,000-9,000 cases of Valley fever across the state this year, with 5,400 already confirmed, signaling a large increase in 2024 cases due to wet weather.
‘This week they reported that 5 cases may have been linked to this year’s event as part of their California’s Valley fever Awareness Month campaign.
‘We prioritize the health and safety of all our patrons and are in communication with the California Department of Public Health and Kern County Public Health Department to learn more about Valley fever and any preventative measures we can take to reduce Valley fever risk for future festival events, and to make information available to this year’s attendees.’
Most people with the mild form of Valley Fever will not realize they have the illness because its symptoms — fatigue, cough, fever, aching muscles and breathlessness — mimic those of a respiratory virus infection.
Other symptoms include night sweats, joint aches and a red rash, usually on the legs but occasionally on the chest, arms and back.
The disease, for which there is no preventative vaccine, can often be missed by doctors or misdiagnosed as pneumonia.
But up to 10 percent of infections become severe and take months to recover from.
In these cases, known as disseminated coccidioidomycosis, the disease can spread through the bloodstream to other parts of the body, including the brain, skin and liver.
If it infects the membranes and fluid around the brain it can cause life-threatening meningitis.
There is no proven treatment for Valley Fever and patients are usually prescribed rest and given therapies to manage symptoms.
Doctors may prescribe antifungal medications, but there is no evidence from clinical trials that show these treatments are effective – and antifungal drugs come with the potential for serious side effects.
California health officials are encouraging people who visited the area around the festival – near the city of Bakersfield and in Kern County – and are experiencing respiratory symptoms to visit a doctor and ask about being evaluated for Valley Fever.
The department said: ‘Be sure to mention attendance at the music festival or travel to Kern County where Valley Fever is common.’
While only five cases have been detected, there are likely more.
Mild cases of the fungus in people who contracted it at the event two months ago could have already resolved and others still experiencing symptoms could still be undiagnosed.
The number of Valley Fever cases peaked for the first time in a decade in 2021. The 20,970 recorded instances were the most on record for a single year since the last peak in 2011.
Instances declined in 2022 but picked back up last year, and experts are concerned over an expected surge of the fungus in the coming decades.
