N95 masks
Posted date : Dec 20, 2023.
I applaud Ross Quigley’s editorial extolling the virtues of the N95 mask to combat the smoke and residue spewing from forest fires. However, if space allowed, I’m sure that he would have alerted readers to the dangers of Valley Fever. This a disease that is endemic to the desert states such as Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and California. The desert sands in these states contain the fungus Coccidioides, commonly known as Valley Fever. People get the fever by breathing in the microscopic fungal spores that are stirred up by high winds in the desert or around construction sites. I know of what I speak because I have Valley Fever!
Initially, it showed up on a chest X-ray as a dark spot on my left lung which my doctor in Toronto pronounced as cancer; he set in motion an appointment with a thoracic surgeon. Our primary residence is in southern Ontario, but we winter in Scottsdale, where we have another doctor. Wanting a second opinion, I sent the X-rays to him and his immediate response was not cancer but, rather, Valley Fever. He went on to explain that Valley Fever looks like cancer on an X-ray and that the medical communities in the Eastern provinces and states can easily misdiagnose, as most of their patients spend their winters in Florida and adjoining ‘non-desert’ states.
The good news is that the vast majority of those who contract the disease get better on their own. I am one of those lucky ones and the spot on my lung has already reduced by half. However, the disease can get out of control with those who are immune deficient and they must be treated with very powerful antifungal drugs.
My advice to those snowbirds who spend time in the southwestern states: keep a supply of N95 masks on hand and use them at the first signs of a windstorm.
David A. Currie
Claremont, Ontario
Ed.: That is a fascinating story! We never would have guessed that Valley Fever looks like lung cancer on an X-ray. Thank you for sharing it with us.
