Dogs Are New Focus In Hunt For Valley Fever In Eastern Washington

NWNews | By Anna King

Published October 11, 2016 at 3:58 PM PDT

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This week federal and state health officials are sampling a known site outside the Tri-Cities, Washington, for the fungus that causes Valley Fever. In the last five years, southeast Washington has reported nine new human cases.

Wayne Clifford

In the last six years, about 10 confirmed cases of valley fever have popped up in Eastern Washington. And the state of Washington estimates there are even more exposures that haven’t been diagnosed.

Valley fever is a fungus found in soil that can make people sick. Mainly, the illness has been linked to California and the Southwest.

Wayne Clifford, a disease expert with Washington’s Department of Health, is planning a new pilot study to better map valley fever -- using pet dogs.

“Dogs are really a good sentinel for valley fever because of the way they walk around with their nose to the ground all the time,” Clifford said.

Clifford plans to work with veterinarians and pet owners to test the dogs’ blood for antibodies to valley fever. Then, on positive dogs, they’ll map the animals’ range. It will give Clifford’s researchers starting places to further test soils in Eastern Washington.