Valley fever health risks topic of Fresno conference

The UC Merced Health Sciences Research Institute will hold a Valley Fever Community Awareness Day from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Friday at the UCSF Fresno Center for Medical Education and Research, 155 N. Fresno St.

The conference is free and open to the public. Public parking is available in Community Regional Medical Center lots 16 and 22.

The event will provide participants with an understanding of the continued health risks of Valley fever in the San Joaquin Valley and who’s most at risk.

Presenters at the event include University of California at Merced, the Fresno County Public Health Department, University of California at San Francisco-Fresno Medical Education and the Fresno State Premedical Club. Information on causes, prevention and treatment of Valley fever will be provided.

Specific information on the effects of Valley fever in children is available through the work of UC Merced researcher Erin Gaab, who recently published a study on pediatric Valley fever patients.

Coccidioidomycosis, commonly known as Valley fever, is a fungal infection endemic throughout the southwestern United States, especially in the Southern San Joaquin Valley. Thousands of cases have been reported in recent years, but due to its sometimes asymptomatic nature, the illness is often misdiagnosed or underreported.

For more information or to register as a participant, contact JSRI Projects Manager Amelia Johnson at 209-355-9828 or ajohnson78@ucmerced.edu.

For information in Spanish, please call 559-259-1798.

This story was originally published April 7, 2016 at 2:36 PM with the headline "Valley fever health risks topic of Fresno conference."