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1. JUST ONE BREATH: Public health champion felled by valley fever

   The last time Linda Jue saw her husband alive, he was in the intensive care unit in a lot of pain. Right before doctors gave him painkillers, Jeff Jue gave her two thumbs up and smiled. The former Merced County mental health director was...
2. 

   JUST ONE BREATH: More people dying from valley fever, study shows

   More people are dying from valley fever than previously thought, and illnesses including diabetes, lung disease, arthritis and certain cancers may increase a person's chances of dying from the disease, according to a new study. This past...
3. 

   JUST ONE BREATH: Valley fever vaccine stalls after early promise

   Just eight years ago, a vaccine to stop valley fever seemed within reach. Ambitious scientists at five universities had brought in millions of dollars since 1997 from private donations and government funding to develop a way to beat the...

4. JUST ONE BREATH: Federal funding for vaccines skips valley fever

   The federal government is the single biggest source for the primary research that leads to new vaccines. But, like the pharmaceutical industry, it currently is not supporting a valley fever vaccine. Other diseases that affect far fewer...

5. JUST ONE BREATH: Scientists took different routes to find vaccine

   Five scientists were chosen by a committee affiliated with Cal State Bakersfield in 1997 to pursue vaccine research:   Dr. John Galgiani, 66, professor at the University of Arizona and director of the Valley Fever Center for Excellence...
6. 

   Forum highlights the many challenges to taking on valley fever

   San Joaquin Valley residents, doctors and experts demanding improvements in the way valley fever is studied, diagnosed and treated shared their concerns during a town hall meeting hosted by state Sen. Michael Rubio, D-Shafter, in...

7. Valley fever town hall to be live streamed

   State Sen. Michael Rubio, D-Shafter, will host a town hall meeting on battling valley fever from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Friday at the Kern County Public Health Services Department building at 1800 Mount Vernon Ave. in Bakersfield. For those...
9. 

   JUST ONE BREATH: Valley fever costs mount for patients and taxpayers

   Berenice Parra was sick for eight months before doctors realized she had a severe form of the fungal disease valley fever. "I was literally dying without a cure," said Parra, a 25-year-old mother of three from Arvin. Desperate for relief...

10. JUST ONE BREATH: Taxpayers spend millions on valley fever in prisons

    Californians are locked into contributing to the cost of treating state inmates sickened by valley fever. Since 2006, the state prison system has tried but failed to reduce the disease's impact and price tag. California Correctional...

11. JUST ONE BREATH: Valley fever forces police captain to give up his badge

    When Archie Scott came down with valley fever, he was 52, extremely fit and a captain in the Bakersfield Police Department. One day in 2007, he started feeling feverish and lethargic with joint aches. He went to his physician, but the...
12. 

    JUST ONE BREATH: Valley fever robs daughter of mother at crucial time

    Editor's note: Valley fever wears many masks. This makes it hard for the people who suffer from the disease to recognize the symptoms. More importantly, the clinicians trying to diagnose them often mistake valley fever for bacterial...
13. 

    JUST ONE BREATH: More faces of valley fever

    'Not being able to breathe was the worst.' MERCED -- The walk from Tom Price's living room to his kitchen was only a few feet. But it felt like miles. The 33-year-old from Merced was hit with valley fever in 2006. He had trouble...
14. 

    JUST ONE BREATH: When valley fever struck celebrated winemaker, doctors missed it

    Todd and Tammy Schaefer appear the picture of good fortune and good health. Tall, fit and well-dressed, the couple met in Malibu, where they established their wine business. In 2001, they moved to Paso Robles and focused on Pacific Coast...