As the seasons continue to get warmer, thanks to climate change, many infectious diseases are intensifying, according to the CDC. One disease journalists should follow closely is Valley Fever, a condition caused by a fungus lurking in desert soil that is slowly creeping northward.
Lauren Pelley, senior health and medical reporter for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), became especially interested in highlighting the growing threat of fungal infections after the premier of “The Last of Us” on HBO in early 2023. While Valley Fever doesn’t look like it’d cause a fungal zombie apocalypse like the fictional variety of the cordyceps fungus in the show, Pelley wanted to focus on showcasing how this and other fungal diseases are striking new populations and can be difficult to diagnose and treat.
Pelley published her award-winning piece on the topic, “Danger in the dirt,” in August 2023. In this “How I Did It,” Pelley discusses her approach to reporting on the fungus that causes Valley Fever.
The following conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.
What sparked your interest in this fungi story?
For some time I was getting more interested in the intersection between climate change and human health. How our changing climate was impacting the spread of infectious diseases, insect populations, things like that. That led me to the growing body of research around various fungal infections, which also appeared to be popping up in new areas and impacting more people — think C. auris, a multidrug-resistant threat that popped up out of the blue in Japan in 2009, or blastomycosis, a fungal infection spread through the soil which has hit Indigenous communities in Canada, sometimes with deadly results. In early 2023, fungal infections — and the links to climate change — really hit the mainstream when “The Last of Us” premiered on HBO.
That February, I wrote a story about the likelihood of a fungus leading to worldwide devastation, and talked to some of the world’s foremost scientists on the matter. It really opened my eyes to the grim (and real) possibilities. And it sparked my interest in finding a way to highlight the growing threat, with a goal of focusing on one pathogen in particular. Valley Fever, given all the evidence linking its spread to warming temperatures, was a great fit to shine a spotlight on the broader problem posed by fungal infections.
What was your approach for gathering data and finding sources?
I cast a wide net at first, doing my own research and speaking to probably a dozen scientists involved in studying fungal threats. Researchers with the World Health Organization, top infectious disease specialists in the U.S., and scientists here in Canada, where I live. Those experts helped point me to solid data and published studies, and eventually shared the names of researchers working specifically on Valley Fever — doctors treating patients, scientists helping create potential vaccines, field researchers gathering samples in the Arizona desert. It started directly connecting with teams working on the ground to protect people from catching this really pernicious pathogen. That work led to a whirlwind three-day trip to Arizona where we visited scientists and patients across the state, from Tucson to Phoenix to Flagstaff.
How did you approach connecting the data to stories and people on the ground?
Medical stories like this can be data-heavy and inaccessible unless you have “real” people involved. They need that heartbeat, an emotional edge. Thankfully, some of the physicians I interviewed were able to connect me with patients who’d survived some quite nasty Valley Fever infections. I also scoured forums and social media for fresh voices, and the main character featured in the story was actually someone I found on Facebook while searching for posts about “cocci” or “Valley Fever.” It was pretty amazing to make that connection — I’m a reporter in Toronto, and got to chat with a guy living in Arizona, and then eventually flew down and interviewed him in person. The story was so much richer having his experience at the heart of it.
What illnesses or effects did you see in people who were exposed?
The spectrum of illness experienced by the patients I spoke to was quite something. People talked about a wide range of terrifying symptoms and lingering health impacts from their Valley Fever infections. Things like extreme fatigue, coughing up blood, rapid weight loss, unexplained back pain, debilitating headaches, and potentially-deadly brain inflammation. One woman said she’s now on medication for life, but isn’t cured: The fungus is still lurking deep in her lungs, and could flare up again down the line.
What should health care reporters who are less familiar with fungal threats know?
Fungal infections aren’t just about yellowing toenails or athlete’s foot! Seriously though: This is one of the major, emerging health issues of our generation, even if it doesn’t usually make headlines. But the reality is, these fungal threats are striking new populations, causing severe disease, can be tough to diagnose and treat, and are growing more drug resistant. Sure, we might not have an apocalyptic situation like The Last of Us, but it’s a scary enough problem without the need for zombies.
What solutions/regulations could be put in place to protect people?
Fungal infections desperately need more research, to find better treatments and vaccines. There also arguably needs to be more awareness in the medical community so patients get properly diagnosed — a tricky task, since symptoms of conditions like Valley Fever can mimic lots of other diseases. But I’m not the expert on solutions, here. The World Health Organization’s first-ever report on fungal “priority pathogens” from 2022 is a good starting point to better understand the scope of the problem, and what the world needs to do to combat this growing threat.
What potential angles need to be explored on this topic?
The rising threat of fungal infections is a topic that’s not going away, and I suspect it’ll get more attention in the years ahead as new populations and regions are impacted, or if well-known pathogens end up more drug-resistant than they are now. Solutions-based reporting will be crucial to help the public understand what’s needed to protect average people like you and me from Valley Fever, C. auris, or any number of threats that could emerge in the decades to come.
Lauren Pelley covers the global spread of infectious diseases, pandemic preparedness and the intersection between health and climate change for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). She’s a two-time Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario Media Award winner for in-depth health reporting in 2020 and 2022, a silver medalist for best editorial newsletter at the 2024 Digital Publishing Awards for CBC Health’s Second Opinion, and a 2024 Covering Climate Now award winner in the health category.
