Experts Point Fingers At El Niño, Other Weather Events For Rise In Valley Fever Cases
“We are seeing very many people with valley fever,��� said Dr. Demosthenes Pappagianis. “It is probably the greatest occurrence in recorded history on the disease."
Modesto Bee:
The Valley Really Needed The Rain Last Winter. But Did We Need The Disease That Came With It?
What has caused the record number of valley fever cases in California? El Nino and other winter storm phenomena are most likely to blame, according to the best available information on the disease. Stanislaus County’s almond harvest dust is off the hook. Last year, the state recorded the largest number of valley fever cases since the disease became reportable to public health agencies in 1995. The numbers kept surging this year in counties such as Stanislaus, which has seen more than 50 percent annual increases since 2014. (Carlson, 12/10)
In other public health news —
San Francisco Chronicle:
Scientists Aim To Wipe Out Dementia And Other Diseases Of Aging
In 1997, when Japanese researchers accidentally discovered a gene variant that appeared to speed up aging in lab mice — which they stumbled upon while conducting an unrelated study on high blood pressure — they named it Klotho. ... [Dena] Dubal’s lab runs one of dozens of research initiatives under way at Bay Area universities, institutions and biotech firms — some funded by a new influx of venture capital — that show promise that modern medicine may be able to eradicate or prevent diseases for which aging is the biggest risk factor. (Ho, 12/8)
Sacramento Bee:
Her Grandson Died On The Streets. She’s Planning A Hospice For The Homeless In His Name
Homeless people with cancers or other illnesses that pose an imminent threat to their lives typically wind up in emergency rooms, where they are treated for their symptoms and released back to the streets. ... Soon, an alternative may be available to people who are facing death within weeks or months and have no place to go for care. (Hubert, 12/11)