Tucson 13 News

Every year about 150,000 people across U.S. receive a Valley fever diagnosis, more than two-thirds of them here in Arizona. A new forecasting tool allows researchers at the Valley Fever Center for Excellence at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson to better track spikes of the fungal disease. "It turns out that asking your physician 'Hey should I be tested for this?' is really valuable because many physicians might not think to do that," said John Galgiani, MD, director of the Valley Fever Center for Excellence at the University of Arizona and professor of Internal Medicine with the College of Medicine – Phoenix. "And there is State Department of Health data that indicates that people who know about Valley fever before they get sick get diagnosed correctly sooner than patients who don't know about valley fever before they get sick. It's because they ask their doctor if they should be tested."