February 11, 2022 - The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently announced $4.5 million in three grant awards to establish collaborative research centers across the United States focused on investigating diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines specifically related to coccidioimycosis, also known as Valley Fever. This follows a September 2020 letter led by Representatives Kevin McCarthy and David Schweikert (AZ-06), Co-Chairs of the Congressional Valley Fever Task Force, that called on the NIH and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease to fund this Valley Fever research to better combat this fungal disease.

Congressman Kevin McCarthy (CA-23)
 
McCarthy released the following statement: 
 
“For years we have been working to mitigate and stamp out Valley Fever. With Valley Fever cases continuing to rise, this funding comes at a critical time. I am glad to see that Dr. Royce Johnson and the Valley Fever Institute will be involved in these research efforts. I am thankful to my Co-Chair, Representative Schweikert, for working with me on this issue throughout the years and the NIH for focusing resources on diagnosing, developing treatments, and ultimately, eradicating Valley Fever.”
 
Schweikert released the following statement: “The top priority for the Valley Fever Task Force is to secure research funding that will get us closer to beating Valley Fever for good. Along with my Co-Chair, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, we have worked tirelessly towards that goal. I know that we have a long way to go in the fight to end Valley Fever once and for all, and this funding for new research is a great leap forward.”
 
Royce H. Johnson, MD, FACP, Medical Director, Valley Fever Institute, Kern Medical offered the following statement: “Congressman Kevin McCarthy has worked diligently to increase federal funding for Valley Fever research and reduce the impact it has on our communities. His efforts recently led the National Institutes of Health to award funding that supports new research at the Valley Fever Institute. This new research has the potential to transform our understanding of Valley Fever. We are grateful for continued legislative championing of Valley fever by Congressman McCarthy, and the Congressional Valley Fever Task Force.”
 
John Galgiani, MD, Director, Valley Fever Center for Excellence, University of Arizona provided the following statement: “Since Arizona is the source of nearly two-thirds of all U.S. Valley fever infections, we applaud the increasing attention that these awards bring to this very important public health and economic problem. It complements the ongoing activities of the University of Arizona’s Valley Fever Center for Excellence and the recently begun Valley Fever Collaborative between its three state universities, and we look forward to working closely with the new Coccidioidomycosis Collaborative Research Centers that the NIH has now created.” 
 
Background: 

• This $4.5 million funding announcement builds on the nearly $70 million that the NIH has allocated to Valley Fever research since the 2013 Bakersfield Valley Fever Symposium. 
• Funding was awarded to researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Texas, San Antonio.
• The Valley Fever Institute at Kern Medical will serve as a clinical evaluation and recruitment center to advance these Valley Fever research through these collaborative research centers.
  Source: Congressman Kevin McCarthy