BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The Valley Fever Walk kicked off on Saturday to raise awareness about valley fever, a fungal disease that killed 49 people in Kern County last year.
The event started at 9 a.m. on April 12 at Beach Park. Community members participated to raise awareness about the disease that anyone could get, including house pets.
“I had no energy, and I just felt like I just couldn’t get enough air in, and then came the high fevers, and it was just constant,” Latocia Manley, a valley fever survivor, said. “I couldn’t walk very well. I couldn’t see straight. I couldn’t think. It was really bad.”
Faces of Valley Fever campaign hopes to stop the death rate
In 2024, 49 people in Kern County died from valley fever and 3,900 others were infected. Valley fever grows in the dirt and spreads in the dust…