Valley Fever and Moreno Valley (Long Beach, Riverside: schools, university, places to live)

[mvgordie]

The Inland Empire is known to have a fungi which causes an illness better known as "Valley Fever." This fungus can lead to serious health conditions including death, and only takes one spore to be inhaled to cause the infection which starts in your lungs then can spread through your blood stream to the bones, bodily organs, and even into the brain.

On December 18th,2008 the City of Moreno Valley was served a letter which requested the City to have test performed on the soil of the sites set for this development, for the existence of the Coccidiodes Immitis and the Coccidioides Possadasii fungi which causes this illness (Coccidioidomycosis).

This infection is caused when soil is disturbed and send the fungi spores airborne at which point they can be carried by the wind for miles. It only takes one of these spores to infect not only humans but family pets as well.

Unfortunately the illness can only be detected by specials test for the virus itself, however it usually is originally misdiagnosed as lung cancer, or some other illness.

Those most susceptible to the more serious complication of this fungal infection are the elderly, women in their third trimester of pregnancy, diabetic, and those with lowed immune system from such conditions as undergoing cancer treatments, or suffering from HIV/AIDS.

Another cause for more sever forms of the illness is the amount of spores inhaled and the length of time from onset of the infection to receiving treatment. Those infected may not know they are until the infection reaches a stage in which the develop pneumonia, and even then it may not be immediately diagnosed until after a series of chest x-rays, lung biopsies, and medical treatments which will not effect the virus.

No cure or vaccine exists for Coccidioidomycosis, and is currently being sought by several medical schools such as the University of Arizona (a good source of information on Valley Fever).

If you or a loved one have suffered from Valley Fever, or you wish some addition information on the subject please e-mail me at mvgordie@hotmail.com

[ludwig72]

Q. you state that the spores can travel for "miles". does this range also include the towns/cities north of MV, e.g. Yucaipa, Redlands, Riverside? also, why is it that i've not read anything about "Moreno Valley fever" in any of the other discussion threads?

[GoodbyeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by ludwig72

Q. you state that the spores can travel for "miles". does this range also include the towns/cities north of MV, e.g. Yucaipa, Redlands, Riverside? also, why is it that i've not read anything about "Moreno Valley fever" in any of the other discussion threads?

You haven't read about it primarily because what is known as "Valley Fever" is not exclusive to Moreno Valley. It is actually a very common illness in the arid and semi arid portions of California as well as the rest of the Desert Southwest. So yes, places like Yucaipa, Redlands, and Riverside would fall within that area.

Another reason you probably are unaware of it is because two thirds of the people that become infected with "Valley Fever" never even know they have it. Many never develop symptoms, others may experience vague, flu-like symptoms that last for days or even weeks. Most people are able to fight off the infection without having to seek medical treatment. Severe cases are rare, and death is even rarer. And that usually occurs among those who have weakened immune systems, such as the elderly or people with HIV.

I lived in Palm Springs for nearly eight years, and I often heard about "Valley Fever". Did I worry about it? No. If I moved back to the area, would I worry about it now? Again, no. With all the things that one needs to be concerned about in their daily life, "Valley Fever" would be pretty low on my priority list.

[ludwig72]

mahalo for the clarification. i understand now that the bacteria exists in many semi-arid regions, and is present in the soils in the area we currently reside in. yes, it's unlikely that a healthy individual would be adversely affected by such a bacteria, but it's good to be aware of one's environment.

here's a more relevant issue: we lived in Long Beach for about 4.5 years, not far from the ports. air quality was bad enough that when we moved back to CO i vowed not to ever again live in such an area. now, it looks like we will be relocating to either Redlands/Yucaipa/elsewhere for a Fed position my husband accepted. we are climbing the latter in the Fed system and expect to be in the area for 4-6 yrs. we are concerned about air quality but understand that LA's smog gets funneled to Riverside, etc. Q. how bad is the air pollution the general area and are there better places to live, rather than worse, attributed to elevation (Yukaipa, for example). please advise, thanks!

[GoodbyeCalifornia]

The Inland Empire, of which the cities that you have mentioned are a part of, isn't exactly known for having great air quality. If you found the pollution in Long Beach objectionable, even with the influence of the ocean breeze, then you definitely won't like the air in the Inland Empire. To give you an example, here is a quote from the City of Yucaipa General Plan - July 2004:

"The air quality in the City of Yucaipa results from a unique combination of factors. Air flow patterns and emission sources, both local and those located throughout the region, result in some of the worst air quality in the nation....The Yucaipa area sometimes exceeds state and federal air quality standards for ozone and particulate matter...The Yucaipa area sometimes records the most severe violations of air quality standards for ozone and particulate matter in the summer months relative to the rest of the air basin".

Now that was in 2004. Since that time, there has been a significant increase in population throughout the Inland Empire, so I think it unlikely that air quality has actually improved in the last 5 years. Given your criteria, that would pretty much eliminate Moreno Valley, Riverside, Redlands, and Yucaipa from your list. Your choices then fall to going further east to the Banning/Beaumont area and beyond. Banning/Beaumont puts you right near the junction for the 60 Freeway, which would take you into Moreno Valley.

The major issue with both of these cities is that many find them to be too small or too "ghetto" for their taste. And that is true to some degree, even though there are nice areas in both places, especially the closer you get to the mountains. Since both cities have elevation to them, the temperatures in summer are pleasant, winters can be on the cool side, and overall air quality is very good. Beyond that, you are then looking at Palm Springs and the other desert cities....still good air quality, much hotter summers, and a longer drive to work.

So unless you are willing to compromise in some way, I'm not sure you will have much luck finding a place that will work for you.