Soil samples at construction site show no sign of valley fever

  • Published
  • By Gary Hatch
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
Negative soil sample test results taken from the Tamarisk Plains construction site next to the Child Development Center here may help ease concerns expressed by parents that dust blowing from the site might expose their children to spores that cause valley fever. 

Five soil samples taken from various areas of the site all showed no sign of the fungus or its spores that cause valley fever, an infection that manifests itself with flu-like symptoms in about 40 percent of those who become infected. 

Valley fever is spread when fungal spores become airborne and are inhaled. The spores can be found in soils in many areas of the United States and are more prevalent in the southwest, including the Mojave Desert. 

"As soon as a question of exposure to valley fever spores from construction came up, we put together a representative sampling plan and had the samples tested," said Col. Gale Skousen, 95th Medical Group commander. "We continue striving to be proactive in ensuring the safety of base residents and workers in the midst of all the construction going on around base." 

The disease is rare in most of the United States, occurring most frequently in the desert southwest. It is diagnosed annually in about 0.03 percent of people nationally and less that 0.1 percent of people in the Mojave Desert region. Valley fever is not a communicable disease where it can be spread from person to another. The diagnosis can be made through a blood test or culture. 

Preventative measures include avoiding exposure to dust and stirred up soil. Frequent watering down of the dirt in the construction area helps to accomplish these goals. 

For more information, call the 95th Aerospace Medical Squadron bioenvironmental engineering section at 277-3272.