BILL ANALYSIS Ó
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SCR 142|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
THIRD READING
Bill No: SCR 142
Author: Fuller (R), et al.
Introduced:5/9/16
Vote: 21
SUBJECT: Valley Fever Awareness Month
SOURCE: Author
DIGEST: This resolution declares August 2016 as Valley Fever
Awareness Month.
ANALYSIS: This resolution makes the following legislative
findings:
1) Valley Fever (coccidioidomycosis), a progressive,
multisymptom, respiratory disorder, is a debilitating
disease.
2) Valley Fever is caused by the inhalation of tiny airborne
fungi that live in the soil but are released into the air by
soil disturbance or wind.
3) Valley Fever attacks the respiratory system, causing
infections that can lead to symptoms that resemble a cold,
influenza, or pneumonia.
4) If left untreated or mistreated, infection can spread from
the lungs into the bloodstream, causing inflammation to the
skin, permanent damage to lung and bone tissue, and swelling
SCR 142
Page 2
of the membrane surrounding the brain, leading to meningitis,
which can be devastating and even fatal.
5) Once serious symptoms of Valley Fever appear, including
pneumonia and labored breathing, prompt treatment with often
toxic antifungal drugs must be given, which is especially
disagreeable for patients who require the drugs to be
injected beneath the base of their skulls for meningitis and
which can cause side effects such as nausea, fever, and
kidney damage.
6) According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, Valley Fever infection rates rose twelvefold
nationwide from 1995 to 2009, and researchers estimate that
the fungus infects more than 150,000 people each year who
either suffer serious ailments without knowing the cause of
their illness or escape detection of the disease.
7) Misdiagnosis of Valley Fever is so pervasive that experts
say some people suffer and even die from Valley Fever without
knowing they ever had the disease.
8) Dry conditions and lack of precipitation present urgent
problems regarding Valley Fever.
9) Valley Fever is usually found in soil two to eight inches
from the surface, and the extreme dry conditions caused by
drought increase the chances of coccidioidomycosis airborne
fungi exposure.
10)Valley Fever most seriously affects the young, the elderly,
those with lowered immune systems, and those of African
American and Filipino descent.
11)There is no known cure for Valley Fever, but researchers are
SCR 142
Page 3
closer than ever to finding a much-needed vaccine against
this devastating disease.
This resolution proclaims August 2016 as Valley Fever Awareness
Month.
Prior Legislation
SCR 7 (Fuller, Resolution Chapter 125, Statutes of 2015)
declared August 2015 as Valley Fever Awareness Month.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:NoLocal: No
SUPPORT: (Verified8/2/16)
None received
OPPOSITION: (Verified8/2/16)
None received
Prepared by: Karen Chow / SFA / (916) 651-1520
8/3/16 19:17:54
**** END ****
SCR 142
Page 4