Young people especially are drawn to outdoor music and cultural festivals, the most famous of which is undoubtedly the 1969 festival in Woodstock New York that drew at least half-a-million people.
Modern incarnations happen all over the world, and when thousands of people pack in tightly together outdoors in the heat with questionable sanitation, disease can spread. That is what may be happening to thousands of attendees at a recent festival in California. The “Lighting in a Bottle” gathering took place in May at Buena Vista Lake, and so far, health officials say they’ve found at least five cases of what’s called “valley fever” among attendees.
The California Department of Public Health said that of the five, three had to be sent to the hospital for treatment. But they think there are probably many more cases of illness since the festival drew a crowd of 20,000 people.
The squeamish will not be pleased to learn that valley fever is spread by inhaled spores from fungus native to parts of the Arizona and California deserts. It is thought that dancing people inadvertently kick up soil containing the spores, which then float around in the air until people breathe them in. The disease primarily affects breathing, which Kyle Lewis now knows all too well.
After leaving the festival, Lewis said he was in so much pain it felt like he had broken a rib. He said the affect on his life and daily activities was “huge.” His protracted sickness caused Lewis to lose 40 pounds. His treatment included having his chest cavity aspirated—this involves the insert of a long needle that is used to suck out fluid that has built up around the heart and lungs. Lewis had so much excess fluid he could not breathe properly because his lungs couldn’t expand against the pressurized fluid.
Health officials are urging anyone who attended the concert and who is experiencing respiratory problems to see their doctor.
While there is no vaccine for the illness, it can be successfully treated.
The organizers of the next festival say they’re aware of the problem and taking steps to mitigate the risk to attendees, but it is not clear just what those steps might be.
Symptoms of valley fever can include breathing and other problems that feel like a flu infection; some people experience chest pain from the infection. It is not contagious between humans.
Every year, Golden State health officials expect between 7,000 and 9,000 cases. So far this year, 5,400 have been reported.
