Contract Supporting Valley Fever Vaccine Project Ending

This month, a $1 million state Department of Public Health contract that supports the Valley Fever Vaccine Project is ending. The project is made up of six academic centers and four research facilities and is working on developing a vaccine for coccidioidomycosis, or valley fever, a fungus that affects arid regions of the southwestern U.S. According to a study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Kern County has had one of the highest rates of infection of valley fever in Arizona and California over the last decade.

• "Valley Fever Pioneer Still Searching for the 'Ultimate Answer'" (Mayer, Bakersfield Californian, 6/25).