More than 20,000 attendees at a California music festival might have been exposed to a dangerous fungal illness that’s rapidly spreading across the country.
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is investigating five cases of Valley fever that occurred among people who traveled through Kern County to attend Lightning in a Bottle held May 22-27 at Buena Vista Lake, near the city of Bakersfield.
Three people have been hospitalized to date, but the state’s top health officials said additional cases linked to attendance at the festival are possible.
Valley fever is not contagious, meaning it cannot spread from one person or animal to another. Symptoms include cough, fever, fatigue, difficulty breathing, and chest pain, according to doctors. There are about 200 deaths a year due to the disease.
“Those are mostly people with severe immunocompromising illnesses underlying this infection,” said Dr. Brad Perkins, chief medical officer at Karius, a company that provides advanced diagnostics for infectious diseases.
“It can be a devastating infection in those people. That’s pretty rare, fortunately.” Lightning in a Bottle attendees can visit the CDPH Valley fever survey website for more information and to share details about any illness.
The infectious disease is caused by the Coccidioides fungus that grows in the soil and dirt in some areas of California.
