BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SCR 142
Page 1
Date of Hearing: August 22, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON RULES
Richard S. Gordon, Chair
SCR
142 (Fuller) - As Introduced May 9, 2016
SENATE VOTE: 37-0
SUBJECT: Valley Fever Awareness Month
SUMMARY: Declares August 2016 as Valley Fever Awareness Month.
Specifically, this resolution makes the following legislative
findings:
1) Valley Fever (coccidioidomycosis), a progressive,
multisymptom, respiratory disorder, is a debilitating disease
caused by the inhalation of tiny airborne fungi that live in
the soil but are released into the air by soil disturbance or
wind.
2) Valley Fever attacks the respiratory system, causing
infections that can lead to symptoms that resemble a cold,
influenza, or pneumonia. If left untreated, or mistreated,
these infections can spread from the lungs into the
bloodstream, causing inflammation to the skin, permanent
damage to lung and bone tissue, and swelling of the membrane
surrounding the brain, leading to meningitis, which can be
devastating and even fatal.
3) 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
SCR 142
Page 2
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.
4) 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.
5) 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.
6) Dry conditions and lack of precipitation present urgent
problems regarding Valley Fever.
7) 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.
8) Valley Fever most seriously affects the young, the elderly,
those with lowered immune systems, and those of African
American and Filipino descent.
9) There is no known cure for Valley Fever, but researchers are
closer than ever to finding a much-needed vaccine against
this devastating disease.
FISCAL EFFECT: None
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
None on file
SCR 142
Page 3
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by:Nicole Willis / RLS. / (916) 319-2800