Alan, I had a case of Valley Fever that hospitalized me in Tucson from November, 1975 through January 1976. I caught it while metal detecting down around the area SW of Tombstone, AZ. As David mentioned, it is caused by farming or simply the wind, catching hold of Cocci Spores that reside in the top 1/4 inch of soil and causing them to be airborne. I caught a lungfull of those spores and spent about three months being fed via IV, an exotic green fluid called Amphotericin B - at about a quart a day. My case brought on a collaterol case of Pneumonia that caused difficulties in getting a proper diagnosis of the Valley Fever. While in the hospitals, I ran a temperature of a bit over 102-103 for the better part of a month, causing some serious cognitive difficulties after discharge which I overcame with a card game which I played 100s of hands. It took the better part of a year and a half for my brain to resume functioning properly which brought about some "interesting" (an understatment) events in my job. I was treated by the infectious disease experts at the University Hospital at the University of Arizona who, along about Christmas Eve 1975 told my wife and kids they had best visit me that evening for I would not be among the living the next morning which happened to be Christmas day. Valley Fever is not nearly as dangerous to white or light skinned people as it is dark-skinned people and dogs who are closer to the ground and more likely to pick up a dose of the airborne spore. The areas best known for Valley Fever are the entire Sonoron Desert area stretching from AZ into Old Mexico and the Central Valley of CA. Let me know if you have further questions. I'd be happy to try to answer them for you. And, "yes", in the beginning, I also had the elevated temerature and skin rash. I suggest you visit with an infectious disease doctor immediately, if not sooner

Dennis Boswell
A Valley Fever Survivor