In the Bay Area, health officials are sounding the alarm about a little-known illness that doesn’t just affect humans—it threatens our four-legged companions too.
Valley fever, once thought of as a disease limited to California’s Central Valley and the desert Southwest, is now cropping up in places like San Francisco Bay counties.
For people, it can feel like a stubborn flu or pneumonia. For dogs, it can be devastating.
What Exactly Is Valley Fever?
Valley fever, or coccidioidomycosis, is caused by a fungus called Coccidioides that lives in dry soil…