Valley fever report shows cases down in Arizona

PHOENIX — A new Arizona Department of Health Services report shows cases of valley fever are down in the state.

“We did find that there was actually a change in testing methods in 2013 that may have accounted for that decline,” said Shane Brady an epidemiologist with the AZDHS.

People should still get tested early which can prevent antibiotic misuse.

“Anything that disrupts the soil, if valley fever is in that soil, it could cause it to go into the air and if you’re near it, you could breathe it in and it could cause disease,” he said.

Once diagnosed, most people can beat the disease on their own, he said.