Can I catch Valley Fever from another person or from my pet?

No. According to the CDC, Valley Fever does not spread from person to person, and it is not passed from pets to people in the usual ways. You get it from the environment by breathing in fungal spores from disturbed dry soil and dust, not from a sick coworker, your partner, or your dog. That is why lowering your exposure to dusty air is the main way to protect yourself.

Is Valley Fever more dangerous during pregnancy?

The CDC notes that pregnant people, especially in the third trimester, can be at higher risk of severe or disseminated Valley Fever, which is when the infection spreads beyond the lungs. Most cases are still mild, so this is not a reason to panic. It is a reason to take lingering symptoms seriously, call your provider early, and make sure they know you are in or have visited a Valley Fever area.

How do I know if my cough is Valley Fever or just a cold?

You often cannot tell from symptoms alone, because Valley Fever looks a lot like the flu or COVID, with cough, fever, fatigue, and chest pain. One clue the CDC notes is that the tiredness and cough can linger for weeks instead of clearing in a few days. The only way to confirm it is a specific blood test, so call your provider for a cough or fever that lingers and mention where you live.

What can I do to lower my risk while pregnant?

The CDC suggests limiting time in blowing dust, staying inside with windows closed during dust storms, and keeping car windows up with the air set to recirculate on dusty days. If you must be in dust for work, a well fitting N95 can help, and wetting soil before digging keeps spores down. These simple steps lower how much dusty air you breathe.

Health and safety

Valley Fever in pregnancy: what to know in Arizona and California

June 29, 2026 · 8 min read

If you are pregnant and you live in or have visited Arizona, the San Joaquin or Central Valley of California, or parts of Texas, Valley Fever is worth understanding. Valley Fever, also called coccidioidomycosis, is a lung infection you can get by breathing in tiny fungal spores from dry, dusty soil, according to the CDC. Most cases are mild and feel like the flu, but some become serious, and the CDC notes that pregnant people, especially later in pregnancy, can be at higher risk of severe disease. The good news is that you can lower your exposure, and a simple conversation with your provider helps them test for it correctly. This is general education, not medical advice, so call your provider about any cough or fever that lingers.

A mother holding her child in a warm, supportive moment

What Valley Fever actually is

Valley Fever is an infection caused by a fungus called Coccidioides that lives in soil in certain dry regions, according to the CDC. You catch it by breathing in microscopic spores that get stirred into the air when dry soil and dust are disturbed, by wind, digging, construction, farm work, or driving on dusty roads. It is a lung infection first, because the spores are inhaled, and the body usually responds the way it would to any respiratory illness. The CDC describes it as not contagious in the everyday sense: it does not spread from person to person, and it is not passed from pets to people in the usual ways, so you cannot catch it from a coworker, your partner, or your dog the way you would catch a cold. You get it from the environment, specifically from breathing dusty air in places where the fungus lives in the ground.

Where it is common

Valley Fever is endemic, meaning regularly present, in specific parts of the country, according to the CDC. The best known areas are Arizona, where a large share of United States cases occur, and the San Joaquin Valley and other parts of central and southern California. Parts of Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, and other dry southwestern areas can also have it, and the CDC notes the map has been expanding over time. This matters because Arizona and California together account for most of the cases the CDC tracks. If you live in the Phoenix or Tucson area, the Central Valley, Bakersfield, or anywhere with a lot of dry open soil and seasonal dust, you are in a place where Valley Fever is part of the local picture. Knowing your region is the first step, because it tells your provider to keep Valley Fever in mind when you get sick.

Symptoms and why it mimics the flu or COVID

Many people who breathe in the spores never feel sick at all, and many who do have a mild illness that gets better on its own, according to the CDC. When symptoms do appear, they commonly include cough, fever, fatigue that can be heavy, chest pain, headache, muscle or joint aches, and sometimes a rash. The hard part is that this looks almost exactly like the flu, a bad cold, or COVID, so it is easy to brush off or to assume it is just another seasonal virus. A telling feature the CDC notes is that Valley Fever symptoms, especially the tiredness and cough, can drag on for weeks rather than clearing in a few days. If you have a cough or fever that lingers, that is a reason to call your provider, and to mention that you live in or visited a Valley Fever area so they think to test for it instead of assuming a common cold.

What the CDC notes about pregnancy

Most Valley Fever cases are mild, but in a small number of people the infection spreads beyond the lungs to other parts of the body, which is called disseminated disease, and that form is serious. The CDC notes that certain groups are at higher risk of severe or disseminated Valley Fever, and pregnant people are among them, particularly those in the third trimester. This is exactly why it is worth taking seriously rather than waiting it out. It does not mean most pregnant people who get Valley Fever will become severely ill, and it is not a reason to panic. It is a reason not to brush off lingering symptoms during pregnancy, to call your provider early, and to make sure they know you are in or have traveled to a Valley Fever region so they can decide whether testing and closer follow up make sense for you. Your provider can weigh your specific situation and any treatment safely.

How to lower your exposure

You cannot control the weather, but you can lower how much dusty air you breathe, which is the practical goal during pregnancy. The CDC suggests staying inside and keeping windows closed when it is windy and dusty outside or when there is a visible dust storm. In the car, keep the windows up and set the air to recirculate on dusty days so you are not pulling outside dust into the cabin. If you cannot avoid being in dust, for example because of outdoor, construction, or farm work, an N95 respirator that fits well can reduce what you breathe in, and it is worth asking your employer about dust control and protection on the job. When you do yard work or gardening, wetting down the soil before you dig keeps spores from going airborne. None of this has to be perfect. Reducing your time in blowing dust during pregnancy is a reasonable, low cost way to lower your risk.

Why to tell your provider where you live

Valley Fever is not diagnosed by assumption, and it will not show up unless someone looks for it. According to the CDC, it is identified with a specific blood test that checks for the body's response to the fungus, which is not part of a routine cold or flu check. That is why the single most useful thing you can do is tell your provider, clearly, that you live in or have recently visited a Valley Fever area such as Arizona or central California. That one sentence can change their thinking from this is probably a virus to we should test for Valley Fever, especially if your cough or fever has lingered and especially during pregnancy when the CDC flags higher risk. If you have already been seen and were told it was a cold but you are not improving, it is reasonable to call back, repeat where you live, and ask directly whether Valley Fever should be ruled out.

How Materna fits in

Materna does not diagnose or treat Valley Fever; your provider does that. What Materna does is keep your bilingual prenatal and postpartum record in one place, in English or Spanish, so the details that matter, where you live, your symptoms and when they started, your due date and trimester, travel to dusty regions, and your history, travel with you to every visit. That makes it easier to give your provider the one piece of information that prompts the right test. The Mommy Passport is free for patients, paid by providers, and clinical and safety content is never paywalled. Start prenatal care early and keep your record with you. Call your provider for a cough or fever that lingers, for trouble breathing, or for any symptom that worries you, call 911 in an emergency, and for mental health support call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. For coverage and eligibility questions, contact your state Medicaid agency. Materna serves families in Arizona, California, Texas, and Pennsylvania.

Keep your pregnancy record in one place with the free Mommy Passport

Frequently asked questions

Can I catch Valley Fever from another person or from my pet?: No. According to the CDC, Valley Fever does not spread from person to person, and it is not passed from pets to people in the usual ways. You get it from the environment by breathing in fungal spores from disturbed dry soil and dust, not from a sick coworker, your partner, or your dog. That is why lowering your exposure to dusty air is the main way to protect yourself.
Is Valley Fever more dangerous during pregnancy?: The CDC notes that pregnant people, especially in the third trimester, can be at higher risk of severe or disseminated Valley Fever, which is when the infection spreads beyond the lungs. Most cases are still mild, so this is not a reason to panic. It is a reason to take lingering symptoms seriously, call your provider early, and make sure they know you are in or have visited a Valley Fever area.
How do I know if my cough is Valley Fever or just a cold?: You often cannot tell from symptoms alone, because Valley Fever looks a lot like the flu or COVID, with cough, fever, fatigue, and chest pain. One clue the CDC notes is that the tiredness and cough can linger for weeks instead of clearing in a few days. The only way to confirm it is a specific blood test, so call your provider for a cough or fever that lingers and mention where you live.
What can I do to lower my risk while pregnant?: The CDC suggests limiting time in blowing dust, staying inside with windows closed during dust storms, and keeping car windows up with the air set to recirculate on dusty days. If you must be in dust for work, a well fitting N95 can help, and wetting soil before digging keeps spores down. These simple steps lower how much dusty air you breathe.