Symptoms of Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis)

Many people who are exposed to the fungus Coccidioides never have symptoms.¹ Other people may have flu-like symptoms that go usually away on their own after weeks to months. If your symptoms last for more than a week, contact your healthcare provider.

Symptoms of Valley fever include:

• Fatigue (tiredness)
• Cough
• Fever
• Shortness of breath
• Headache
• Night sweats
• Muscle aches or joint pain
• Rash on upper body or legs

In extremely rare cases, the fungal spores can enter the skin through a cut, wound, or splinter and cause a skin infection.²

How soon do the symptoms appear?
Symptoms of Valley fever may appear between 1 and 3 weeks after a person breathes in the fungal spores.

How long do the symptoms last?
The symptoms of Valley fever usually last for a few weeks to a few months.^{3, 4} However, some patients have symptoms that last longer than this, especially if the infection becomes severe.

Severe Valley fever
Approximately 5 to 10% of people who get Valley fever will develop serious or long-term problems in their lungs.⁴ In an even smaller percent of people (about 1%), the infection spreads from the lungs to other parts of the body, such as the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), skin, or bones and joints.^4–6