When a Cough Isn’t Just a Cough: The Silent Spread of Valley Fever and Aspergillosis

Valley Fever Cases Surge as Climate Change Fuels Spread of Coccidioidomycosis.

Online Support Groups Rally to Raise Awareness of a Little-Known but Life-Altering Fungal Disease.

Scottsdale, AZ – September 17, 2025 – Valley Fever, the common name for coccidioidomycosis, is an underreported fungal infection that is disabling thousands of Americans each year—many of whom were once healthy, active individuals. With climate change expanding the reach of the fungus Coccidioides, health experts warn that the number of cases is rising at alarming rates.

Valley Fever is caused by inhaling fungal spores that thrive in arid soils. Once infected, individuals can experience symptoms ranging from pneumonia-like illness to severe, chronic, and disabling conditions affecting the lungs, bones, and central nervous system. What begins as a simple cough or fatigue can lead to permanent disability, drastically altering quality of life.

Patients Face Diagnostic Delays, Medical Dismissal, and Financial Barriers

Despite Arizona being an epicenter for Valley Fever, many doctors—even in the Phoenix Valley—are not entirely familiar with the disease. Patients are often passed from one specialist to another or told their symptoms must stem from other causes. Outside endemic regions, awareness is even lower, leaving patients vulnerable to medical gaslighting from doctors who do not know about or do not prioritize knowledge about the disease.

The diagnostic process adds to the challenge. Blood tests frequently produce false negatives, and without a clearly visualized nodule on a chest CT, many patients go undiagnosed. For disenfranchised patients without health insurance, the cost of a chest CT or bronchoscopy can be out of reach, leaving patients without answers as their health deteriorates.

For example, Dejaye Nagie, who moved to Arizona from New Jersey in 2017, first developed severe respiratory symptoms in 2020. Despite repeatedly testing negative for COVID-19, her symptoms persisted. In 2023, after testing positive for COVID, her health never fully recovered, forcing her to resign from her position as a high school psychology teacher due to disabling fatigue, brain fog, and respiratory distress.

In 2024, during a routine chest CT ordered by her Mayo Clinic allergy specialist for another condition—Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis (ABPA), also a fungal illness—a radiologist identified a nodule consistent with Valley Fever. She was admitted to Mayo Clinic Hospital for a seven-day inpatient stay and discharged in January 2025. Nine months later, she continues to struggle with extreme fatigue, brain fog, joint and muscle pain, and respiratory challenges. The only medication providing relief is the antifungal Tolsura, a drug that carries risks of liver, heart, kidney, and endocrine complications, as well as potential hearing loss. Nagie has tried discontinuing her antifungal treatment to give her body a break, but within two days her symptoms return, and she fears she will be on an antifungal protocol for life.

Compounding her challenges, decades of intermittent Prednisone use for asthma and bronchitis led to steroid withdrawal-related Addison’s disease, requiring lifelong steroid replacement therapy, compromising her immune system, and preventing healing from Valley Fever. These overlapping conditions have severely impaired her quality of life, making consistent employment impossible.

“I’ve read countless stories from others living with fungal illnesses, who all share the same stories about being gaslit by their doctors, with their symptoms being dismissed as something else,” Nagie said. “With environmental protections being rolled back by the new administration, I worry the danger is only getting worse.”

Urgent Need for Physician Education

Advocates stress that urgent care and emergency physicians must become educated about the symptoms of Valley Fever. Assuming every patient is struggling with bacterial pneumonia or dismissing chest nodules as common findings delays proper care. While treatments are imperfect and can be challenging to manage, the distinction is critical: antifungal medications—not antibiotics—are the appropriate therapy.

“It helps to know at least you are on the right medication for the right disease,” Nagie emphasized. “Far too many patients are given antibiotics that do nothing to stop Valley Fever.”

Online Support Communities Offer Lifelines

In the absence of widespread medical understanding, online support groups have become essential resources. Facebook groups such as Valley Fever Survivors and Valley Fever Survivor Support Group, along with Instagram accounts like @arizonavictimsofvalleyfever, @valleyfeveramericans, @valleyfeverinstitute, and @valleyfeverfacts, provide spaces for patients to share experiences, access resources, and advocate for recognition. Patients can also follow support groups for Aspergillosis, another common but under-recognized and under-reported fungal infection, which Nagie has been struggling with since 2017, compounding her symptoms.

Climate Change and Dust Storm Risks

Research indicates that climate change is contributing directly to the increase in fungal-related illnesses. Rising temperatures, droughts, and dust storms create optimal conditions for the Coccidioides fungus to spread, pushing the boundaries of infection risk beyond the Southwest into states such as California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and even parts of Washington and Oregon. Nagie was infected with Aspergillus in New Jersey due to damp environments, causing mold.

Dust storms, while often considered fascinating desert spectacles, are hazardous events for exposure. Spores released into the air during these storms put residents and tourists at heightened risk for inhaling the fungus.

“I feel it is my obligation to spread the word to as many news outlets as possible so that this disease can be taken seriously,” said Nagie. “Tourists, residents, and even healthcare providers who don’t prioritize Valley Fever in their practice need to understand the risks.”

Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever) vs. Aspergillosis

Coccidioidomycosis, commonly known as Valley Fever, and Aspergillus fumigatus are two distinct fungal diseases. Although both are caused by inhaling fungal spores, they differ significantly in their origins, geographic distribution, risk factors, and the types of illness they produce.

The soil-dwelling fungi cause Valley Fever, Coccidioides immitis and Coccidioides posadasii. It is contracted when fungal spores become airborne through disturbed desert soil, such as during construction, farming, or dust storms. Valley Fever is not contagious and cannot be spread from person to person or from animals. The disease is found primarily in hot, dry, and dusty regions, including Arizona, California’s Central Valley, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, and parts of Central and South America. Symptoms may resemble the flu but can progress to chronic pneumonia, meningitis, bone and joint infections, or other severe disseminated forms. While many infections are resolved on their own, some patients are left with lifelong disability due to fatigue, pain, lung scarring, or neurological complications. Anyone breathing in desert dust is at risk.

Aspergillosis is caused by inhaling spores of the common mold Aspergillus, especially Aspergillus fumigatus. Unlike Valley Fever, Aspergillus spores are ubiquitous and found worldwide in soil, compost piles, decaying vegetation, and indoor dust. Most healthy people inhale these spores daily without illness, but individuals with weakened immune systems or chronic lung disease are particularly susceptible. Aspergillosis can present in different forms: Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis (ABPA) is an allergic reaction typically affecting people with asthma or cystic fibrosis, leading to airway inflammation and mucus plugging. An aspergilloma, or 'fungus ball,' may form in pre-existing lung cavities from conditions such as tuberculosis or sarcoidosis. The most serious form, invasive aspergillosis, occurs in immunocompromised patients and can spread rapidly to the lungs, brain, kidneys, or heart.

Key Differences

The main differences between the two diseases lie in their sources, risk factors, and disease progression. Coccidioides is found in dry desert soils and is geographically limited, while Aspergillus is a mold that is found worldwide in both indoor and outdoor environments. Valley Fever can cause severe illness in otherwise healthy individuals, whereas Aspergillosis more commonly affects people with pre-existing lung conditions or suppressed immune systems. Coccidioidomycosis typically manifests as Valley Fever, pneumonia, or disseminated systemic disease, while Aspergillosis may present as allergic reactions, aspergillomas, or invasive infections. Both conditions are treated with antifungal medications, such as fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, or posaconazole. Treatment often requires long-term therapy, and antifungal drugs can pose risks, including liver, kidney, and heart toxicity.

In summary, Doctors need to become more educated about fungal infections that are affecting thousands of Americans, leading to disability.