"The Valley Fever Care Program is designed to support patients experiencing suspected or confirmed cases of Valley Fever," said Dr. Geetha Sivasubramanian, an Inspire Health infectious disease physician.
Inspire Health says Valley Fever is a fungal infection caused by inhaling spores from Coccidioides fungus found in soil throughout parts of California and the southwestern United States.
"Honestly, everybody who lives in the Central California area is at risk for Valley Fever because it's everywhere in the soil here, and you can be exposed," said Dr. Sivasubramanian.
While everyone is at risk, some people are more vulnerable to developing complications.
According to Dr. Sivasubramanian, pregnancy, uncontrolled diabetes, cancer treatment and other immune-compromising conditions can increase a person's risk.
"So pregnancy is a risk factor. If you have any underlying medical conditions like uncontrolled diabetes or if you have an immune-compromising condition, if you have cancer, you're getting chemotherapy. Those features that reduce your immune system. They can put you at risk for complications from this infection," she said.
The disease remains a concern in the Central Valley, where environmental conditions contribute to ongoing exposure risk.
Dr. Sivasubramanian said many people do not experience severe illness, but some patients can develop more serious complications.
Symptoms of Valley Fever can include fever, fatigue, night sweats, cough and shortness of breath. Because those symptoms can resemble common respiratory illnesses, diagnosis can sometimes be delayed.
Dr. Sivasubramanian, who also serves as Chief of Infectious Disease at UCSF Fresno, said Valley Fever often requires long-term monitoring, particularly in complicated cases.
"It means that you need to be under the care of a doctor who knows what to look for. What other complications? When do we need to change treatment? So you need somebody who is following you closely over a period of several years, and that's what we want to achieve here for our patients with our new Valley Fever program," she said.
Inspire Health says the program will provide evaluation for suspected Valley Fever symptoms, specialty consultation and treatment recommendations, ongoing monitoring for patients with persistent symptoms or increased risk of complications, and coordinated care with primary care providers and other specialists when needed.
Program physicians will also follow emerging Valley Fever research and inform patients about developments involving medications, diagnostics, and clinical studies.
"If that particular patient would qualify to where they have this advanced disease that's not responding to regular treatment, we'll be able to enroll them in these clinical studies that would give them the opportunity to be exposed to some of the cutting-edge treatment that's available," Dr. Sivasubramanian said.
She said the clinic will allow local patients to access advanced care closer to home, reducing the need to travel outside the Central Valley for treatment.
The team says the program is scheduled to begin August 1 at the Inspire Health Specialty - Kashian in Fresno.
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