Abstract

Valley Fever, or Coccidioidomycosis, a fungal respiratory disease, is prevalent with increasing incidence in the Southwestern United States, especially in the central region of California. Public health agencies in the region do not have a consistent strategy for communication and health promotion targeting vulnerable communities about this climate-sensitive disease. We used the behavior adaptation communication model to design and conduct semi-structured interviews with representatives of public health agencies in five California counties: Fresno, Kern, Kings, San Luis Obispo, and Tulare County. While none of the agencies currently include climate change information into their Valley Fever risk messaging, the agencies discuss future communication methods similar to other health risk factors such as poor air quality days and influenza virus season. For political reasons, some public health agencies deliberately avoided the use of climate change language in communicating health risk factors to farmers who are particularly vulnerable to soil and dust-borne fungal spores. The effectiveness of health communication activities of the public health agencies has not been measured in reducing the prevalence of Valley Fever in impacted communities. Given the transboundary nature of climate influence on Valley Fever risk, a concerted and consistent health communication strategy is expected to be more effective than current practices.

Highlights

  • Weather has been known to affect human health [1]

  • Climate and risk communication researchers are still working on the challenges related to communicating health risks of climate-sensitive diseases like Valley Fever to diverse communities and decision-makers [1]

  • The relationship between climate and Valley Fever is not included in risk communication

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Summary

Introduction

Weather has been known to affect human health [1]. Weather affects the distribution and risk for infectious diseases such as malaria, Rift Valley Fever, plague, Dengue fever, Hantavirus, Ebola hemorrhagic fever, and West Nile virus [1]. Many infectious diseases that can be influenced by the climate are vector transmitted diseases. Some diseases, such as Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever), have a sensitive relationship to climate they are not associated to vector transmission. Climate and risk communication researchers are still working on the challenges related to communicating health risks of climate-sensitive diseases like Valley Fever to diverse communities and decision-makers [1]

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