Valley Fever Cases Linked to California Music Festival Nearly Quadruple, and More Are Likely

Updated 1:50 p.m. Wednesday

After a handful of people initially reported getting valley fever at a Kern County music festival in May, California public health officials say the number of cases linked to the event nearly quadrupled in a month.

In late July, the California Department of Public Health announced that five attendees of Lightning in a Bottle tested positive, and three were hospitalized with symptoms. Last week, the department said that as of Aug. 21, the number of confirmed cases linked to the festival is at least 19, including eight hospitalizations.

The actual number of people infected is likely higher since valley fever symptoms — cough, fever, chest pain and fatigue — can be confused with other common respiratory infections and COVID-19.

Valley fever is not contagious from person to person but infects people and animals who breathe in dust or dirt that contains fungal spores of coccidioides, or “cocci.” When this dust is blown up into the air, people in the area can inhale the cocci spores, which can infect the lungs.

State officials have warned that valley fever is on the rise this year and being reported outside the Central Valley and Central Coast areas where it is traditionally most common. A music festival is somewhat of a perfect storm for the infection — dancing kicks loose dust containing the soil-dwelling fungus, and singing festival-goers breathe in the spores.

More than 20,000 people traveled from across the state and beyond to attend Lightning in a Bottle between May 22 and 27. Health officials are continuing to investigate the cases linked to the festival.

Following news stories about the cases, multiple Reddit users discussing the festival reported feeling sick, and some say that getting a test for the infection has been difficult.

Lightning in a Bottle organizers told KQED that health and safety are a primary concern and that the festival adheres to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDPH and local authorities.

“We, like other large scale gatherings in the region, will continue to seek out the most up to date health and safety guidance made available to us as we plan for future events,” organizers said in a statement.

“You really have to advocate to get tested,” one said. Another reported having symptoms since two weeks after the festival but said they were turned away from the doctor’s office without a test.

State medical officials are warning of an increased risk of valley fever infection this fall, the high season throughout Central California. The disease has spread more rapidly this year so far than in previous years, with 6,280 suspected, probable or confirmed infections through the end of July — about 2,500 more than in the same period in 2023.

The disease is prevalent only in a few areas, including the San Joaquin Valley and desert regions of Arizona, but experts say that California’s changing weather patterns could make the climate here even more conducive to the fungus.

A recent study by Alexandra Heaney, an assistant professor of public health at UC San Diego, hypothesizes that the state’s flip-flopping heavy rain and drought periods fuel the fungus.

She and her co-authors believe extensive fungus grows during wet, rainy periods, while dry spells allow the fungus to form and release infectious spores into the air. Cocci can also withstand extremely dry, harsh conditions allowing it to outlast much of its competition during droughts.

“If this is going to continue to become more common due to climate change, it’s something that might be contributing to the increases we’ve seen and may actually promote increases in the future as well,” Heaney told KQED in August.

CDPH Director Dr. Tomás Aragón warns that the state is preparing for “another possible increase,” and Californians should be aware of valley fever symptoms to catch it early.

“If you have a lingering cough and fatigue, please talk to a doctor about valley fever, especially if you’ve been outdoors in dusty air in the Central Valley or Central Coast regions,” Aragón said in a statement.