California Department of Health Warns of Valley Fever Outbreak From Music Festival

Bakersfield of Kern County, Calif., in a file photo. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

The California Department of Public Health has identified five cases of Valley fever linked to an outdoor music festival in Kern County near Bakersfield, officials said on July 29. 

Five people who attended the Lightning in a Bottle music festival at Buena Vista Lake May 22–27 came down with the disease and three of those patients were hospitalized, health department officials said.  

Valley fever is caused by a fungus that grows in the dirt and soil in several areas of California, according to the health department. It is not contagious and can’t be spread from person-to-person contact.  

Most people exposed to the fungus do not develop Valley fever. But when they do, the fungus can infect the lungs and cause respiratory symptoms including cough, difficulty breathing, fever, and tiredness or fatigue, officials said.  In severe cases, the fungus can spread to other parts of the body, according to the health department.  

Outbreak

Lightning in a Bottle is a “community campout” music event featuring techno, bass, hip hop, folk, house, and Americana artists, per the event’s website.  

California’s health department said over 20,000 people attended the festival in May, including potential attendees from out of state and out of the country.  

Officials from the department of health noted in their statement that it was “possible” other Valley fever cases could be linked to those who attended the event. The department also said that past outbreaks have been linked to outdoor events or valley areas where dirt has been moved or disturbed.  

The recent outbreak comes a year after the California department of health warned state residents that there could be an increased risk for the disease. 

“California’s dry conditions, combined with recent heavy winter rains could result in increasing Valley fever cases in the coming months,” said California health department director and state public health officer Tomás Aragón in a 2023 statement.  

The department of health said in their recent statement regarding the music festival outbreak that there were “particularly high numbers of cases” of Valley fever reported in 2023 and thus far, this year. Officials also said the disease was most common in the San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast.   

There were over 9,200 cases of Valley fever in California in 2023, according to a January statement from the California Medical Association.  

Attendees of the music festival have been asked by the health department to complete a survey to help officials learn more about how the disease may have impacted those at the event.