WHEREAS, Valley fever (coccidioidomycosis), a progressive, multisymptom, respiratory disorder, is a debilitating disease; and

WHEREAS, It is caused by the inhalation of tiny airborne fungi that live in soil, but are released into the air by soil disturbance or wind; and

WHEREAS, Valley fever attacks the respiratory system causing infection which can lead to symptoms that resemble a cold, influenza, or pneumonia-like symptoms; and

WHEREAS, Left untreated or mistreated, infection can spread from the lungs into the bloodstream causing inflammation to the skin, permanent damage to lung and bone tissue, and swelling of the membrane surrounding the brain leading to meningitis, which can be devastating and even fatal; and

WHEREAS, Once serious symptoms of valley fever appear, including pneumonia and labored breathing, treatment must be prompt with antifungal drugs that are disagreeable and often toxic, especially for patients who have it injected beneath the base of their skull for meningitis, causing side effects such as nausea, fever, and kidney damage; and

WHEREAS, Within California alone, valley fever is found in portions of the Sacramento Valley, all of the San Joaquin Valley, desert regions, and portions of southern California; and

WHEREAS, Valley fever affects the young, the elderly, and those with lowered immune systems, which number in the tens of thousands; and

WHEREAS, Valley fever has been a disease studied for the past 100 years, but still remains impossible to control and difficult to treat; and

WHEREAS, There is no known cure to date for valley fever; however, researchers are closer than they ever have been in finding a much needed vaccine to this devastating disease; and

WHEREAS, The research effort to find a vaccine and the funding partnership, including funding from the State of California, was approved by the Legislature and signed by Governor Wilson in 1997; now, therefore, be it