SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Officials with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) are alerting Californians that the risk for catching Valley fever remains high in 2025. Cases usually spike in late summer and fall months.

Valley fever, also known as coccidioidomycosis or cocci, is caused by a fungus that grows in soil in some areas of California's Central Valley. The illness is named after the San Joaquin Valley.

"Most people who get Valley fever breathe in the fungus in the late summer and fall and then get sick one to three weeks later," the CDPH wrote. "People who live, work, go to school, or travel in areas where Valley fever is common are at risk of becoming sick."

People can catch Valley fever by breathing in dust from outdoor air that contains the cocci fungus, health offi

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