Uploaded September 2020 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with partner organizations, designated September 21st through the 25th of 2020 as Fungal Disease Awareness Week. The week is meant to highlight the importance of recognizing serious fungal diseases early enough in the course of a patient’s illness to provide life-saving treatment.
The agency reports that some fungal diseases go undiagnosed and cause serious infections in people in the United States and around the world, leading to illnesses and deaths. For 2020, CDC is focusing on three fungal diseases that can feel like the flu or pneumonia: Valley fever (coccidioidomycosis), histoplasmosis and blastomycosis.
• Valley fever, also called coccidioidomycosis, is an infection caused by the fungus Coccidioides. The fungus is known to live in the soil in the southwestern United States, parts of Mexico, and Central and South America. The fungus was also recently found in south-central Washington.
• Histoplasmosis is an infection caused by a fungus known as Histoplasma. The fungus lives in the environment, particularly in soil that contains large amounts of bird or bat droppings. In the United States, Histoplasma is mainly found in the central and eastern states, especially in areas around the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys.
• Blastomycosis is an infection caused by a fungus called Blastomyces. The fungus lives in the environment, often in moist soil and in decomposing matter such as wood and leaves. Blastomyces mainly lives in areas of the United States and Canada surrounding the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys and the Great Lakes.
For each of these fungal diseases that are part of the CDC’s 2020 focus, people can get them by breathing in microscopic fungal spores from the air, although most people who breathe in the spores don’t get sick.
People can also be exposed to pathogenic fungi in places such as healthcare settings or even in their home, school or business. Some pathogenic types of mold (fungi) can grow indoors if there is moisture from water damage or elevated humidity levels. For example, aspergillosis, which is an infection caused by a type of fungi known as Aspergillus, is a common mold that is found outdoors and also frequently in properties with mold contamination.
These are just a few of the many things to know about Fungal Disease Awareness Week. To learn more about this or other microbial pathogens, indoor or outdoor environmental quality, building science, infection control, or other health and safety issues, please visit the websites shown below.
Clark Seif Clark csceng.com
EMSL Analytical, Inc. emsl.com
LA Testing latesting.com
Zimmetry Environmental zimmetry.com
Healthy Indoors Magazine healthyindoors.com
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with partner organizations, designated September 21st through the 25th of 2020 as Fungal Disease Awareness Week. The week is meant to highlight the importance of recognizing serious fungal diseases early enough in the course of a patient’s illness to provide life-saving treatment.
The agency reports that some fungal diseases go undiagnosed and cause serious infections in people in the United States and around the world, leading to illnesses and deaths. For 2020, CDC is focusing on three fungal diseases that can feel like the flu or pneumonia: Valley fever (coccidioidomycosis), histoplasmosis and blastomycosis.
• Valley fever, also called coccidioidomycosis, is an infection caused by the fungus Coccidioides. The fungus is known to live in the soil in the southwestern United States, parts of Mexico, and Central and South America. The fungus was also recently found in south-central Washington.
• Histoplasmosis is an infection caused by a fungus known as Histoplasma. The fungus lives in the environment, particularly in soil that contains large amounts of bird or bat droppings. In the United States, Histoplasma is mainly found in the central and eastern states, especially in areas around the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys.
• Blastomycosis is an infection caused by a fungus called Blastomyces. The fungus lives in the environment, often in moist soil and in decomposing matter such as wood and leaves. Blastomyces mainly lives in areas of the United States and Canada surrounding the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys and the Great Lakes.
For each of these fungal diseases that are part of the CDC’s 2020 focus, people can get them by breathing in microscopic fungal spores from the air, although most people who breathe in the spores don’t get sick.
People can also be exposed to pathogenic fungi in places such as healthcare settings or even in their home, school or business. Some pathogenic types of mold (fungi) can grow indoors if there is moisture from water damage or elevated humidity levels. For example, aspergillosis, which is an infection caused by a type of fungi known as Aspergillus, is a common mold that is found outdoors and also frequently in properties with mold contamination.
These are just a few of the many things to know about Fungal Disease Awareness Week. To learn more about this or other microbial pathogens, indoor or outdoor environmental quality, building science, infection control, or other health and safety issues, please visit the websites shown below.
Clark Seif Clark csceng.com
EMSL Analytical, Inc. emsl.com
LA Testing latesting.com
Zimmetry Environmental zimmetry.com
Healthy Indoors Magazine healthyindoors.com
