PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A weekend of severe monsoon storms across the Valley has left behind more than just rain. Choking walls of dust rolled through the Phoenix metro area overnight, caught on ADOT highway cameras, prompting local health officials to issue warnings about a quiet but dangerous threat lurking in the air: valley fever.
Doctors remind residents that about two-thirds of all valley fever infections in the United States happen right here in Arizona. The disease, caused by inhaling fungal spores, can go undetected for weeks or months, sometimes resulting in severe, long-term health complications.
A year-long battle
For Arizonan Justin John, what started as standard flu symptoms last February quickly spiraled into a devastating, year-long health crisis.
“I never imagined it would turn into this,” John said…