The California Department of Public Health is warning people who attended a music festival in Bakersfield this May that they may have been exposed to a fungal infection.
After the Lightning in a Bottle festival, which brought acts like Skrillex, M.I.A. and James Blake to Buena Vista Lake near Bakersfield May 22-27, five attendees have been diagnosed with Valley fever. Three of those five were hospitalized, Public Health officials said.
Symptoms of Valley fever, a fungal infection caused by spores that become airborne when soil is stirred up, include fever, cough, shortness of breath, tiredness and a red, spotty rash, according to the Mayo Clinic.
If other attendees are experiencing respiratory symptoms, they should contact a healthcare provider.
It is possible that some may have been infected and have since recovered. In those cases, people could still test positive for Valley fever on skin or blood tests, and “small areas of residual infection in the lungs (nodules) show up on a routine chest X-ray,” the Mayo Clinic said.
“The nodules typically don’t cause problems, but they can look like cancer on X-rays,” the clinic added.
In a statement, representatives for Lightning in a Bottle said Public Health informed them that there would likely be ” a large increase in 2024 cases [of Valley fever] due to wet weather.”
“We prioritize the health and safety of all our patrons and are in communication with the California Department of Public Health and Kern County Public Health Department to learn more about Valley fever and any preventative measures we can take to reduce Valley fever risk for future festival events, and to make information available to this year’s attendees,” the statement said.
For more information on Valley fever, visit the California Department of Public Health’s website.
KGET’s Jacqueline Gutierrez contributed to this report.
