Latest news with #BrynnCarrigan
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Kern County HIV cases at an all-time high, public health director says, and federal funding cuts could make it worse quickly
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Kern County Public Director Brynn Carrigan says local HIV rates are up significantly. In 2023, the most recent year for which confirmed local HIV numbers are available, 215 Kern County residents were diagnosed with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. That is the highest number of new HIV cases ever, and it represents a 40% increase from just five years prior. Some health experts are saying it could get worse before it gets better because of federal funding cuts. Kern County Public Health Director Brynn Carrigan on challenges the department, and residents could face amid federal funding cuts 'We have more newly diagnosed cases of HIV in Kern County every year than previously,' Carrigan said in an exclusive interview. 'So we're seeing more HIV than we've ever seen before. It's not a disease that's going away. 'I strongly feel that any reduction to services from Kern County Public Health is going to have a negative outcome. Carrigan was referencing a 1-2-3 punch of funding challenges that hit public health this year, including a $10.5 million cut by the federal government, which rescinded a huge grant. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now It's not just a local issue. The Los Angeles Times reported Friday that a coalition of HIV prevention organizations and health experts are sounding alarms about sweeping Trump administration cuts to HIV/AIDS prevention and surveillance programs. The Foundation for AIDS Research says the cuts could result in 127,000 additional AIDS deaths within five years. Carrigan's complete interview is available at this link. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
California could face another record-breaking year of Valley fever
Brynn Carrigan's headaches started in April 2024. Within a couple of weeks, she was debilitated. Her vomiting exacerbated the excruciating pain in her skull. She spent nearly every hour in bed with the covers pulled over her head, blocking out any sliver of light. Even the clock on her microwave was too much. 'I went from training for a marathon, raising two teenagers and having a job to essentially being bedridden,' said Carrigan, 41, of Bakersfield, California, who works for Kern County Public Health. Her condition continued to get worse and doctors couldn't provide answers — until her third visit to the hospital, when one doctor asked her if she'd had any respiratory symptoms before the headaches started. She had. About a month before the headaches started, Carrigan had what she thought was a typical cold — though she recalled that her cough lingered a bit longer than normal and she went on to develop a rash on her thighs. Both symptoms got better without treatment. These turned out to be key pieces of information. A biopsy of her spinal fluid revealed that Carrigan had coccidioidal meningitis, a rare complication of a fungal infection called Valley fever. 'I knew something was wrong but never in a million years did I think it would be something so serious,' Carrigan said. Valley fever, or coccidioidomycosis, is caused by inhaling coccidioides spores, a type of fungi endemic to the hot, dry climate of the southwestern United States. Climate change is creating drier soils that are inching farther east, expanding the range of the fungi. Valley fever is increasingly being diagnosed outside its usual territory and cases have been rising across the Western U.S. While Arizona still sees the highest number each year, California is closing the gap. From 2000 through 2016, California had 1,500 to 5,500 cases a year. From 2017 through 2023, those numbers jumped to 7,700 to 9,000 annual cases. Preliminary data for 2024 puts the count at more than 12,600 — the highest the state has ever seen and about 3,000 more cases than the previous record, in 2023. Early data shows California is on track for another record-breaking year. Already, the state has logged more than 3,000 confirmed cases of Valley fever statewide, more than there were at the same time last year and nearly double what cases were at this time in 2023. 'There is no question that the number of cases of coccidioidomycosis is enormously higher than before,' said Dr. Royce Johnson, chief of the division of infectious disease and director of the Valley Fever Institute at Kern Medical in California. 'If you want to see me, right now you'd have to wait until July, and that goes for my colleagues, too.' Carrigan lives in Kern County, a dry, sprawling region that sits between two mountain ranges at the southern end of California's Central Valley. The county has already recorded at least 900 Valley fever cases so far this year and has been ground zero for the fungal infection in the state for the last three years. But the consistently high cases in places like Kern County are not driving the upward trend in California, said Gail Sondermeyer Cooksey, an epidemiologist at the California Department of Public Health. Instead, new hot spots are emerging along the edges of the Central Valley — in Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties, along California's central coast. Cases in Contra Costa County, just east of Berkeley, have tripled so far this year compared with the same time in 2023. 'It appears to be spreading out,' Sondermeyer Cooksey said. Many factors likely influence how well coccidioides spores multiply and spread, 'but one thing we have identified as a big driver of those peaks and dips is drought,' she said. A 2022 study in The Lancet Planetary Health found that drought years suppress Valley fever cases, but multiple years of drought followed by a wet winter causes cases to rebound sharply. This shift in weather patterns, which is driven by climate change, appears to largely influence where new Valley fever hot spots emerge. Longer, drier summers can also shift transmission season, when the spores spread, from late summer and early winter to earlier in the year. 'We're seeing wetter wets and drier dries across the Southwest, but California is seeing that to a higher degree,' said Jennifer Head, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan, who studies Valley fever and climate change. In Arizona, new hot spots are popping up in places in the state that have a climate more similar to California's than elsewhere in Arizona. 'The highest increases in Arizona are in the northern plateau regions, which, similar to California, have historically been colder and wetter,' Head said. The climate patterns expanding Valley fever's range in California are the same ones that drive increasingly intense wildfires. Scientists are still trying to understand how fires may worsen Valley fever risk, but some research has shown a link between wildfire smoke and higher rates of diagnoses. Sondermeyer Cooksey said the state health department warned first responders to January's devastating fires in Los Angeles County of the potentially increased risk of Valley fever in the area because of the fires. There have been past outbreaks among wildland firefighters. There's some limited evidence that wildfires may spread the coccidioides spores. In a 2023 study, researchers looked at 19 fires across California and observed higher rates of Valley fever following three of those fires. These fires tended to be larger, located near population centers and burned areas that had high Valley fever transmission prior to the fire. 'It's not entirely clear whether there is a link between wildfires and Valley fever, but what is important to know is that coccidioides live in the dirt and anything that disturbs the dirt can exacerbate Valley fever,' Sondermeyer Cooksey said. 'Fires do that, then we have all of the reconstruction projects that also disturb soil.' Peak Valley fever season hasn't happened yet this year. Because reconstruction efforts are disturbing soil in the burn scar, Sondermeyer Cooksey said state and local public health departments 'are closely tracking the numbers' in areas hit by January's fires. Diagnosing Valley fever is tricky, mostly because its symptoms overlap with other respiratory illnesses including flu, Covid and pneumonia. If someone experiences those symptoms, it's important for them to let their doctor know if they've been around disturbed soil or dust — in a construction zone, camping, hiking, working outside or at a festival — or in an area known to have Valley fever, Sondermeyer Cooksey said. Symptoms typically show up one to three weeks after exposure, but it can take as long as eight weeks, so people may not make an immediate connection, Head, of the University of Michigan, said. Last year, at least 19 people who attended the Lightning in a Bottle music festival — which is being held in Kern County again this month — were diagnosed with Valley fever later in the summer. At least eight were hospitalized. 'Lightning in a Bottle is right in the middle of the endemic region, that's one of the hot spots for the disease,' said Dr. George Thompson, director of the Center for Valley Fever at the University of California, Davis, adding that the vast majority of people who attend will not get an infection, but people who aren't from an endemic area may be at higher risk. Thompson said it's clear that he and his colleagues across the state are treating more patients for the infection. Only about 1% of cases result in life-threatening meningitis or other complications, as Carrigan's did, but once a person is infected, they never clear the fungus from their body. 'There is no drug that kills cocci, so what keeps you from being ill is your immune response,' Johnson, of Kern Medical, said. To treat the infection, people are given antifungals 'long enough for a person's immune system to figure out how to control it. If you then do something to disrupt that immunity, it can start growing again, and that can surface years later,' he said. Carrigan spent the last year on an intense regimen of anti-fungal treatments. During the first few months, she lost most of her hair and eyelashes and barely recognized herself in the mirror. She's now made a full recovery and even ran a marathon this spring, but she still takes anti-fungal medication. Carrigan said she wants more people to understand both the warning signs of Valley fever and the importance of telling their doctor if they've been somewhere with cases, which could help people get a faster diagnosis. 'Even if it's only 1% of cases, as we see cases increase, the number of people who experience complications is going to rise, too,' she said. This article was originally published on
NBC News
20-05-2025
- Health
- NBC News
California could face another record-breaking year of Valley fever fungal infection
Brynn Carrigan's headaches started in April 2024. Within a couple of weeks, she was debilitated. Her vomiting exacerbated the excruciating pain in her skull. She spent nearly every hour in bed with the covers pulled over her head, blocking out any sliver of light. Even the clock on her microwave was too much. 'I went from training for a marathon, raising two teenagers and having a job to essentially being bedridden,' said Carrigan, 41, of Bakersfield, California, who works for Kern County Public Health. Her condition continued to get worse and doctors couldn't provide answers — until her third visit to the hospital, when one doctor asked her if she'd had any respiratory symptoms before the headaches started. She had. About a month before the headaches started, Carrigan had what she thought was a typical cold — though she recalled that her cough lingered a bit longer than normal and she went on to develop a rash on her thighs. Both symptoms got better without treatment. These turned out to be key pieces of information. A biopsy of her spinal fluid revealed that Carrigan had coccidioidal meningitis, a rare complication of a fungal infection called Valley fever. 'I knew something was wrong but never in a million years did I think it would be something so serious,' Carrigan said. Valley fever, or coccidioidomycosis, is caused by inhaling coccidioides spores, a type of fungi endemic to the hot, dry climate of the southwestern United States. Climate change is creating drier soils that are inching farther east, expanding the range of the fungi. Valley fever is increasingly being diagnosed outside its usual territory and cases have been rising across the Western U.S. While Arizona still sees the highest number each year, California is closing the gap. From 2000 through 2016, California had 1,500 to 5,500 cases a year. From 2017 through 2023, those numbers jumped to 7,700 to 9,000 annual cases. Preliminary data for 2024 puts the count at more than 12,600 — the highest the state has ever seen and about 3,000 more cases than the previous record, in 2023. Early data shows California is on track for another record-breaking year. Already, the state has logged more than 3,000 confirmed cases of Valley fever statewide, more than there were at the same time last year and nearly double what cases were at this time in 2023. 'There is no question that the number of cases of coccidioidomycosis is enormously higher than before,' said Dr. Royce Johnson, chief of the division of infectious disease and director of the Valley Fever Institute at Kern Medical in California. 'If you want to see me, right now you'd have to wait until July, and that goes for my colleagues, too.' Drought cycles driving spread Carrigan lives in Kern County, a dry, sprawling region that sits between two mountain ranges at the southern end of California's Central Valley. The county has already recorded at least 900 Valley fever cases so far this year and has been ground zero for the fungal infection in the state for the last three years. But the consistently high cases in places like Kern County are not driving the upward trend in California, said Gail Sondermeyer Cooksey, an epidemiologist at the California Department of Public Health. Instead, new hot spots are emerging along the edges of the Central Valley — in Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties, along California's central coast. Cases in Contra Costa County, just east of Berkeley, have tripled so far this year compared with the same time in 2023. 'It appears to be spreading out,' Sondermeyer Cooksey said. Many factors likely influence how well coccidioides spores multiply and spread, 'but one thing we have identified as a big driver of those peaks and dips is drought,' she said. A 2022 study in The Lancet Planetary Health found that drought years suppress Valley fever cases, but multiple years of drought followed by a wet winter causes cases to rebound sharply. This shift in weather patterns, which is driven by climate change, appears to largely influence where new Valley fever hot spots emerge. Longer, drier summers can also shift transmission season, when the spores spread, from late summer and early winter to earlier in the year. 'We're seeing wetter wets and drier dries across the Southwest, but California is seeing that to a higher degree,' said Jennifer Head, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan, who studies Valley fever and climate change. In Arizona, new hot spots are popping up in places in the state that have a climate more similar to California's than elsewhere in Arizona. 'The highest increases in Arizona are in the northern plateau regions, which, similar to California, have historically been colder and wetter,' Head said. Closely tracking Los Angeles The climate patterns expanding Valley fever's range in California are the same ones that drive increasingly intense wildfires. Scientists are still trying to understand how fires may worsen Valley fever risk, but some research has shown a link between wildfire smoke and higher rates of diagnoses. Sondermeyer Cooksey said the state health department warned first responders to January's devastating fires in Los Angeles County of the potentially increased risk of Valley fever in the area because of the fires. There have been past outbreaks among wildland firefighters. There's some limited evidence that wildfires may spread the coccidioides spores. In a 2023 study, researchers looked at 19 fires across California and observed higher rates of Valley fever following three of those fires. These fires tended to be larger, located near population centers and burned areas that had high Valley fever transmission prior to the fire. 'It's not entirely clear whether there is a link between wildfires and Valley fever, but what is important to know is that coccidioides live in the dirt and anything that disturbs the dirt can exacerbate Valley fever,' Sondermeyer Cooksey said. 'Fires do that, then we have all of the reconstruction projects that also disturb soil.' Peak Valley fever season hasn't happened yet this year. Because reconstruction efforts are disturbing soil in the burn scar, Sondermeyer Cooksey said state and local public health departments 'are closely tracking the numbers' in areas hit by January's fires. Cases after Lightning in a Bottle festival Diagnosing Valley fever is tricky, mostly because its symptoms overlap with other respiratory illnesses including flu, Covid and pneumonia. If someone experiences those symptoms, it's important for them to let their doctor know if they've been around disturbed soil or dust — in a construction zone, camping, hiking, working outside or at a festival — or in an area known to have Valley fever, Sondermeyer Cooksey said. Symptoms typically show up one to three weeks after exposure, but it can take as long as eight weeks, so people may not make an immediate connection, Head, of the University of Michigan, said. Last year, at least 19 people who attended the Lightning in a Bottle music festival — which is being held in Kern County again this month — were diagnosed with Valley fever later in the summer. At least eight were hospitalized. 'Lightning in a Bottle is right in the middle of the endemic region, that's one of the hot spots for the disease,' said Dr. George Thompson, director of the Center for Valley Fever at the University of California, Davis, adding that the vast majority of people who attend will not get an infection, but people who aren't from an endemic area may be at higher risk. Thompson said it's clear that he and his colleagues across the state are treating more patients for the infection. Only about 1% of cases result in life-threatening meningitis or other complications, as Carrigan's did, but once a person is infected, they never clear the fungus from their body. 'There is no drug that kills cocci, so what keeps you from being ill is your immune response,' Johnson, of Kern Medical, said. To treat the infection, people are given antifungals 'long enough for a person's immune system to figure out how to control it. If you then do something to disrupt that immunity, it can start growing again, and that can surface years later,' he said. Carrigan spent the last year on an intense regimen of anti-fungal treatments. During the first few months, she lost most of her hair and eyelashes and barely recognized herself in the mirror. She's now made a full recovery and even ran a marathon this spring, but she still takes anti-fungal medication. Carrigan said she wants more people to understand both the warning signs of Valley fever and the importance of telling their doctor if they've been somewhere with cases, which could help people get a faster diagnosis.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Valley Fever cases spike across California, most in Kern
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — New data shows that Valley Fever cases are exploding across the state and most are in Kern County. Across the state, there have been over three thousand cases of Valley Fever in the first three months of 2025. That is roughly double the 10-year average. 'We are coming off of the most impactful year of Valley Fever in Kern County with the highest number of cases and the highest number of deaths in 2024,' said Brynn Carrigan, the director of Kern County Public Health. Prop 36 would bring big changes to courts in Kern County Kern's cases in 2024 hit a record of almost 4,000 on the year, and 49 total deaths due to Valley Fever. This year so far, Kern has seen 906 cases of Valley Fever. That's more than any other county. 'The state is well on it's way to having an even more impactful year than we saw in 2024,' said Carrigan. Brynn Carrigan is the director at Kern County Public Health. She says there are a multitude of reasons why numbers are way up. One of the biggest is climate impacts. Drought years, followed by wet years, then drought years again, 'That seems to be the ideal situation for the fungus that causes the Valley Fever infection to grow and spread.' Carrigan also said with increased awareness of the disease, more testing is being done causing the numbers to increase as well. Never miss a story: Make your homepage The most affected population are construction workers, landscapers, and any other job that requires breaking ground and working outside. Carrigan said there are ways to fight it, 'Wet down that soil before you're working in the soil, if it's gonna be windy outside, we would encourage you to wear a mask. If you're gonna be traveling through an area that's endemic to Valley Fever use that recirculation mode in your car.' Valley Fever can present itself like any other respiratory illness, so Carrigan also recommends getting tested if you experience any symptoms. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
$95K grant awarded to Kern County Black Infant Maternal Health Initiative
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Kaiser Permanente announced on Tuesday it awarded a $95,000 grant to the Black Infant Maternal Health Initiative, also known as BIMHI, which aims to address the health disparities in Black mothers, children and infants in Kern County. Kaiser Permanente, a health care provider that also provides services in Kern County, said in a press release it awarded the grant to support BIMHI's mission to address the gaps in maternal health, providing 'culturally competent care' and support during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the maternal mortality rate for Black women in 2023 was 50.3 deaths per 100,000 live births — nearly 3.5 times higher than the maternal mortality rate for white women, which was 14.5 deaths per 100,000 live births. Kern Black Infant and Maternal Health Initiative addresses disparities Brynn Carrigan, a member of BIMHI and the director of Kern County Public Health, expressed BIMHI's gratitude for the grant. 'This funding will significantly enhance our efforts by expanding our support network for Black birthing persons, providing essential prenatal and postnatal care services and fostering community trust in medical providers,' Carrigan said in the release. John Yamamoto, vice president of community health and government relations at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, said in the release that health care institutions can take more immediate steps to improve Black maternal health. Never miss a story: Make your homepage 'By collaborating with medical providers, local doulas and healthcare organizations, we aim to create a supportive environment and build trust to improve health outcomes for Black women in Kern County,' Yamamoto said in the release. BIMHI is an initiative consisting of local government organizations, community-based groups, nonprofits and community members, according to the BIMHI website. The Kern County Public Health Department and First 5 Kern created the initiative in February of 2021, the website said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
